Live
fence
posts
are
commonly
found
in
conventional
barbed
wire
fences.
In
many
cases,
the
trees
and
shrubs
that
appear
along
fence
lines,
originate
from
seeds
deposited
by
birds
perching
on
dead
fence
posts
and
the
fence
wire.
In
other
cases,
farmers
may
deliberately
plant
stakes
of
easy
to
root
species
such
as
Gliricidia
sepium,
Erythrina
spp.,
Spondias
spp.,
and
Bursera
simarouba.
The
live
fence
posts
are
far
more
durable
than
traditional
wooden
posts
as
they
are
less
prone
to
attack
by
termites
and
decay
fungi.
When
grazing
or
browsing
animals
are
part
of
the
farming
system,
the
only
way
to
establish
live
fence
posts
and
eventually
a
living
fence,
is
to
start
with
a
conventional
wire
fence
supported
by
dead
fence
posts
and
to
gradually
establish
live
fence
posts
to
substitute
for
the
decaying
posts.
Ideally,
the
species
used
for
live
fence
posts
must
have
the
ability
to
rapidly
form
a
callus
and
cover
over
the
point
of
attachment
of
the
wire
to
the
post.
The
callus
protects
the
wood
from
attack
by
decay
fungi
and
wood-boring
insects.
Tree
or
shrub
species
that
have
a
resin
or
sap
that
is
corrosive
to
metal,
should
be
avoided.
Otherwise,
the
wire
breaks
a
few
months
after
being
attached
to
the
live
fence
post.
The
example
on
the
right
shows
a
live
fence
post
of
Spondias
mombin
(hog
plum,
tapereba)
in
Honduras.
Many
Spondias
species
are
used
in
the
tropics
for
demarcating
boundaries.
An
added
benefit
is
that
they
also
yield
edible
and
nutritious
fruit.
Gliricidia
sepium
is
the
most
common
live
fence
post
species
in
Central
America
and
in
other
tropical
areas
because
of
the
ease
with
which
large
stem
cuttings
root
and
its
multiple
uses
such
as
forage,
green
manure
and
its
properties
as
a
rat
poison.
Farmers
commonly
start
the
establishment
of
Gliricidia
live
fence
posts
by
planting
a
few
large
(1.5-2.0
m)
stakes
in
the
existing
conventional
wire
fence.
These
stakes
normally
take
root
within
a
month
or
so
and
farmers
allow
the
shoots
to
grow
for
6
to
10
months
before
cutting
them
back.
After
the
first
pruning,
subsequent
prunings
can
be
carried
out
every
4
to
8
months.
Shoot
pruning
at
intervals
of
6
to
8
months
result
in
woody
sprouts
that
are
suitable
for
use
as
stakes.
Farmers
are
thus
able
to
multiply
live
stakes
for
their
fence
posts
within
a
year
or
two
after
establishing
the
first
live
fence
posts.
Introduction
|
Live
Fence
Posts
|
Examples
of
Live
Fences
I
Products
and
Services
|
Conclusions
|
Literature
Cited
BACK
Funded
by
a
grant
from
the
Cornell
Agroforestry
Working
Group
(CAWG)
and
the
Distance
Learning
Program
of
the
Cornell
International
Institute
for
Food,
Agriculture
and
Development
(CIIFAD).
