Fence Row Etiquette

[Yander]

or... Pile it in an out-of-the-way location on your property, and don't burn it. Leave it for wildlife. I have a few things behind my barn that the rabbits love. I like seeing the rabbits. They are probably the least destructive critter on my land. The skunks are the worst, but they are easy to eliminate.

 

[Dawg in Fl]

Years ago Locust and Hedgeapple/Osage Orange made the longest lasting fence posts available.

And the locust was cheap!

 

[Jason05216]

Here's the actual fence line. As you can see the trees hang over a lot.

 

[mjonesnh]

Have a similar fence line on a shared property line at my farm. Use a polesaw every few years to clear a tractor with ROPS and bush hog. Take the limbs cut and put them in a close by woods and let them decay. Once cut back only have to trim every 3-4 years.

 

[Jason05216]

Have a similar fence line on a shared property line at my farm. Use a polesaw every few years to clear a tractor with ROPS and bush hog. Take the limbs cut and put them in a close by woods and let them decay. Once cut back only have to trim every 3-4 years.

I'm going to start working on this fall and winter. It's frustrating to me that the neighbor's lack of upkeep will be an ongoing job for me (granted it was allowed to get this way by the previous owner who held both these pieces but, current owner doesn't seem inclined to change it). Maybe someday he'll want to reclaim it for the row cropping that he has done in the rest of the piece.

 

[Sportsman762]

I'm going to start working on this fall and winter. It's frustrating to me that the neighbor's lack of upkeep will be an ongoing job for me.

I know in my neck of the woods most folks maintain their own fencerows. Which means if you want a fence, you maintain the trees. I always figured that If I care about the limbs overhanging the fenceline then I should remove them. It would chap me pretty bad if a neighbor told me I needed to trim my trees off their fence. In my area your expectations would be out of line.

With that being said I bought some property recently and the neighbors trees over hang the fence line something terrible. I trimmed the trees back with a pole saw then burnt the brush in a pile on my property. I recovered up to 30' of field in some areas, and my brush pile was 12x70 stacked 8' or so tall. Going forward I will have to trim the trees every 3 years to keep it from tickling the tractor cab. If a small branch falls I will chuck it back to their side. However if I cannot easily pick it up then I burn it on my side. Just had a neighbor's tree drop a branch on my fence. I cut it up, will burn the brush, and am delivering the wood to him to burn because I do not burn wood. Living in the country is work, constant work.

 

[bigtiller]

Here's the actual fence line. As you can see the trees hang over a lot.

View attachment 4320285View attachment 4320286

For basal bark treatment, mix 1 part Brushtox with 4 parts diesel

Basal tree spray is a method for controlling woody plants by applying an herbicide mixture to the lower 12 to 15 inches of the trunk's bark. This treatment is ideal for young trees and plants under six inches in diameter, as the herbicide is absorbed through the bark to kill the plant, including its roots. The spray is made of an oil-soluble herbicide mixed with an oil carrier like diesel fuel or a commercial basal oil and is applied to the entire circumference of the stem.

 

[lman]

I have a fenceline in a wooded area. I have always maintained a trail on my side. The neighbors side was lined with planted Ash trees that were probably 40 years old and 25 ft. tall. All of the ash trees died and started falling onto my trail and damaging the chain link fence. I saw the neighbor one day and mentioned the Ash trees and he said that he tried to find somebody to clean it up but had no luck. I don't believe he has ever used a chainsaw. I told him that I could clean it up some on his side and he didn't object. I cut down many of the trees and left them. It's a mess on his side but out of sight, out of mind for the neighbor, which is fine for me. I spray herbicide in the fenceline to keep the poison ivy and other vines off the fence but the honeysuckle is trying to get to my side.
My neighbor probably wonders why I don't just leave it but that's not my nature, I guess. When I'm gone Mother Nature may invade my side but that day is a few years away