Need Help on Redwood fencing info

[AnGelo-TheMeetingGuy]

Hi Waccos!

We share many of the values described as Deep Ecology. And we have a family. Someone said that the pre-build Redwood fence panels sold at Home Depot come from sustainably forested lumber practices by Mendo Lumber Co.

I can't find any legitimate-sounding reviews of those panels.

Would very much appreciate any tips, pointers on how to find real reviews of the Home Depot pre-made Redwood fence panels, or alternatives.

Thank you!
David

[Keith of all trades]

What is your end goal here? Any redwood you buy new, whether from Home Depot or elsewhere is a cut down redwood tree. There is so little harvestable redwood left these days that the FSC label on any particular board is not really that meaningful. Don't get me wrong, I use redwood lumber often in my handyman work. What I try to do is minimize redwood use when practical and not waste it. Not too long ago, I gave away a stack of intact used redwood fence boards that I salvaged from another project. You can often get used boards from Sonoma Compost at the Mecham rd. dump, Daniel O'Davis dismanters on Todd Rd, or from Willy, out behind DiFranco Fence Co. in Sebastopol.

The other option in prefab panels is cedar. Friedman's has 6'x8' dogeared panels for sale for $41. I've installed them recently and you cannot beat the price. But then you have the cut cedar trees from the Sierras and Oregon to contend with. Again, a label on a board is a nice thing to look at, but the use of the wood must be rationalized in the first place.

Please know that I am not arguing to prevent you from sourcing your wood according to your standards. I applaud your goals in using sustainably harvested wood. But cut trees are cut trees.

Do you need a fence at all? How about some shrubs that will grow to 6 or 8 feet in two or three years? Or better yet, a redwood tree shrub fence. Plant redwoods 4 feet apart and top them annually at 6 or 8 ft. If you do this year after year, you'll end up with a redwood "fence" that is alive.

Good luck!

Keith

[joehogan]

Yes, Home Depot wood products are certified for what that’s worth. They are young redwood trees, grown and harvested quickly. So they don’t have much rot resistance and they’re not especially good looking. And Home Depot (Behr) wood sealers aren’t so great either, although they’re somewhat better than Thompson’s Water Seal, which is practically useless and lasts about six months to a year if you’re lucky. I buy my sealers at The Sealer Store online. You can read reviews of the different brands they carry. Although metal is always problematic, it lasts a long, long time and can be recycled easily. Vines or roses or other shrubs can turn a wire fence into a solid screen pretty quickly.

[AJL]

I suggest looking onto reusing old redwood and cedar fencing that is being taken down.
(Perhaps your own?)
Often there is some life in the boards especially if removed carefully and cut down to a 5 foot or 5-6 fence.
There are also simple construction techniques that will make a fence last decades longer and be quicker to build.
Contact me if interested. I've built and designed truck loads of fences and would be happy to discuss any project.
A.J. Levis
707-861-0669
cslb#496779
Advanced Certified Green Building Professional
BPI#5033563

[Glia]

If you must use wood, cedar seems to be a better option than redwood even though it is grown further away. The cedar grows more quickly than redwood and holds up well. It also looks better and ages to a nice patina.

Is vinyl out of the question? Yes, it is a petroleum product and anything but natural. It *may* be available with some recycled content to reduce the energy footprint. Look for "UV stabilized" material.

Fences made from corrugated metal panels have a practical look and are easy to make. They are also easy to dismantle when the time comes. As Joe pointed out, the metal is 100% recyclable. (Unlike many materials, metal can be recycled an infinite number of times.) It can be painted, but it has to be prepped with special stuff to remove the oil *and* primed with a metal primer before the color coat. Like the paint job on a car, it only holds up for so long.

Yes, Home Depot wood products are certified for what that’s worth. They are young redwood trees, grown and harvested quickly. So they don’t have much rot resistance and they’re not especially good looking. And Home Depot (Behr) wood sealers aren’t so great either, although they’re somewhat better than Thompson’s Water Seal, which is practically useless and lasts about six months to a year if you’re lucky. I buy my sealers at The Sealer Store online. You can read reviews of the different brands they carry. Although metal is always problematic, it lasts a long, long time and can be recycled easily. Vines or roses or other shrubs can turn a wire fence into a solid screen pretty quickly.

[nicofrog]

There's someone out near gurneville who put two wire fences right next to each other on either side of the posts(like6") then stuffed leaves in the gap!! Awsome if you have a big leafy tree,, stacking functions! Building an earthbag wall is laborious,time consuming,and extremely rewarding. those kind of natural MASONRY projects can be set up through local environmental teaching venues(recommend ME as a teacher!) the result can be stunning and very durable with cement or earthen plaster, and a south westy look...no wood needed. Thanks for caring enough to look at options, baby redwoods benefit from thinning,but are not a durable option. Nico

[peacetree]

Dear Neighbor,
I also needed a fence to replace an old decayed redwood fence. I found out that actually much of the fence was still usable if I spent the time triming off the bottom 6-10" of the boards, and actually even ripped some that had rotted edges, but sound basic centers. I then had frames & posts of Pressure treated doug fur installed and then put a baseboard of pressure treated doug fur, so that the now shorter redwood ( having removed the bottom rotted parts which was the problem with most of it) still constituted a 6' fence.As an additional effort to extend their life, I added a deliberately bent over nail underneath each board before nailing them onto the frame to give air and drainage space to the boards and prevent faster deterioration. As I have no possible way to grow edible garden stuff anywhere near this fence ( deep in the redwoods, very heavy clay and rock) I was not overly anxious about the pressure treated wood as none of the stuff in it can travel very far in these conditions. It kept me to my committment to no longer buy ANY redwood anymore, and looks fine. I see a few of my neighbors following my example here and there up here on my hill. I feel like extending the useful life of this very old redwood fence was the least I could do to honor the trees that long ago died to create it. I am guessing the old fence has been there at least 30 years or more, and now will last many more years with my recycling effort.I have felt such frustration and grief as I see the newly cut redwoods being hauled away all over this county. At least I know for sure I am not adding to the demand for them now.
Peace, Christmas

[AnGelo-TheMeetingGuy]

Hi Everyone and thank you all for your creativity and care.
- Wow this is SO tough!

- First, to be clear: The existing fence was super old, dilapidated, rotten and mossy when we bought the place 6 years ago, so no reusable option.

- At some level, I _want_ to support "sustainably" harvested lumber, to send that consumer message and to let the lumber companies know that I am yet another human who refuses to buy old-growth of any kind!

- I have no ethical conflict with a person (or company) planting trees, raising them up, giving them life for a while, and then harvesting them.
(to be clear, I have huge ethical conflict if that practice is used as an excuse to cut down existing mature trees...)

- I realize that people use wood. The critical change is to use wood in a way that _restores_ ecosystems.
(In my dreamy idealism, I imagine that is possible via expert forest stewardship.)

- Nicco, the "2 Wires stuffed full of leaves" option: - WHAT HAPPENS when the leaves dry out in a few weeks? That seems like a creative idea, but also seems likely that we will have a dry wall of fire hazard in no time.

- Aack! The cedar option may be best, even though the carbon footprint is probably huge for trucked in cedar.

- I also like the idea of finding used fencing somewhere...

- Feeling lost.... and thankful to the community here for stepping up with your input.

Please send more! :-)

David

[Imagery]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned before, but on Hwy 116, just east of the Todd Rd./Old Hwy 116 offshoot is a very interesting fence-like structure. It was created by using hay bales stacked up 6' high, then a stucco coating was attached to the outside surfaces. It was topped with a clay shingle roof, and looks to be very sturdy indeed.

Not sure if this helps or not, but hopefully it gives you a different idea.