Which trees for fence posts?

[branchbuzzer]

Last year, when I was scrounging dead wood to help us make it through the winter, I found a lot of locust tops in my woods, left over from the logging 8 years prior. None of it showed any sign of rot, except for the hollow center that is so common with those trees. Most of the oak laying around is worthless, unless it was propped off the ground and in decent sunlight. But even the locust laying on the ground was rock-solid and ready to go straight into the stove, with nary a hiss to be heard. I have a blowdown snag I'm going to winch down and cut up, I bet I get more than a cord out of it.

I read somewhere recently that locust can last up to 100 years after it dies.

 

[woodman6666]

Around here its white oak.

 

[DavdH]

OG redwood heart wood. I've also seen OG df posts sills and barn wood over 150 years old and still sound

 

[Guido Salvage]

In Virginia the majority of posts are made of cedar. Many times you can clear an old fenceline and use the cedars you take out as posts. The heart lasts a long time, but the softwood will rot over time. For that reason you will want to start with 5" or 6" posts. Locust is good, but murch harder and less plentiful.

 

[zogger]

I used to cut to size and notch (point) on a buzzsaw a couple hundred fence posts a year. In order of farmer's preference what I remember was, in this order, locust, red cedar, and then hemlock if that is all you could get.

 

[morewood]

There are still locust posts put in place in the 40s still solidly in place today on our property. The barb wire is gone, but the post is solid. Most posts here are locust, but getting less plentiful by the year. Found approx. 10 dead blowdown locusts on a ridge line over the weekend, the largest is 23" through. Some will get slabbed and the rest will be fire wood

Shea

 

[DFK]

We use these for fince post Eastern Red Cedar, Black Locust, Osage. ERC is most easy to obtaine so we use a lot of it. BL and Osage or better for post but harder to find.

Just for your info. I work for an Electric Power Co. We have a few poles on our system that were set around 1900. It is my understanding that they are Longleaf Pine that was treated with creosote. They are as solid as they were when they were new. The EPA wont allow such poles to be used anymore.

David

 

[Coldfront]

White oak.
"Red oak don't lay it down, White oak stick it in the ground."