Sweet Chestnut stakes from coppice ?

[porky]

Is 3-4" sweet chestnut coppice any good for fencing, would it outlast so called "treated" stakes if you debarked it?

[john k]

Yes, it's excellent and lasts very well. Anything less than 3" will normally have too much sapwood, but anything over that will be fine. Over 4" and you can cleave (split) them and get two or more stakes out of each length.

[woody paul]

Is 3-4" sweet chestnut coppice any good for fencing, would it outlast so called "treated" stakes if you debarked it?

 

It's what stakes used to be made of before softwood took over. There's a farm near me that have just put up a lot of fencing with chestnut post which is near some softwood that was put up a year ago will be good to see what fails first.

[porky]

Thanks for that:001_smile:

[agg221]

It's what stakes used to be made of before softwood took over. There's a farm near me that have just put up a lot of fencing with chestnut post which is near some softwood that was put up a year ago will be good to see what fails first.

 

My money is on the chestnut lasting more than twice as long as the treated softwood - the formulations for treatment after 2003 when CCA was banned are pretty useless.

 

Alec

[porky]

That's been my experience with softwood posts lasting about 5 years.

[MooresFT]

Porky, have you got some SC? where abouts are you?

[porky]

Just small amount of coppice unfortunately. I am going to use the stakes for my own fencing.