Fences for managing semi-natural green spaces in urban areas may be needed for the following:
- to protect new plantings of trees, shrubs and hedges.
- to prevent young children having unsupervised access to ponds and other water features
- to secure community gardens, play centre gardens and other small sites against improper use. Many of these sites are attached to buildings or are supervised during the day.
- to prevent vehicle access to a site
All fences may attract vandalism or theft, or may by their presence draw attention to the feature you are intending to protect. Some may be vandalised by people who feel a perceived right of access is being infringed, or because the fence represents authority or interference. Local consultation can reduce this. note should always be taken of existing desire lines, and fencing fitted in to retain these if possible. Some areas have abandoned the use of any timber fencing, because of theft and vandalism. Stock netting is easy to vandalise with wire cutters, or may be stolen for re-use. Anything reasonably substantial made of metal may be stolen for its scrap value.
Protection for tree planting
The standard advice for tree planting is to fence against the trampling of people, and against the trampling and browsing of stock. Rabbits, voles and other animals may be also be a problem. However, for small patches of tree planting on urban sites this advice may not apply, and the advice from several different urban areas is not to bother. The fencing itself may be vandalised or stolen, and it will attract attention to the trees. Vandals can easily climb in and destroy the trees if they so wish, and the fenced areas become a focus for litter and dumping. In Tipton, West Midlands, where there is a strong tradition of keeping horses and ponies within the urban area, the vegetation within fenced tree planting areas is seen as free grazing, and owners cut the fences and put up temporary barriers to corrall their horses within the fenced ‘exclosures’. In some areas chestnut paling has been successfully used around tree planting areas, as this is difficult to climb and rather time-consuming to take apart.
Limited trampling by people and dogs within new tree plantings can help keep down competing vegetation.
Small tree planting areas within school grounds or parks where there is some level of supervision may be worth fencing, to protect against heavy trampling by children playing ball games and so on. A stock netting fence of the type shown below would be suitable.
There may be a problem where grant-aiding authorities require fencing or individual tree protection for tree- planting schemes, which are usually more costly than the trees they are meant to protect, and which may be counter-productive.
Full details of fencing against various types of stock and wild animals is given in Fencing – Designs.
Safety fencing
This may be needed around ponds and water features or along roadsides, particularly on sites used by young children and schools. For school sites, consult with the local education authority. Strained stock netting, post and rail with or without netting, chestnut paling or board fences may be suitable. These are not all proof against a child determined to get over, but should act as a warning and a reminder. On sites with particular hazards such as old mine workings, much higher security fencing will be needed, which should be erected by a specialist firm.
Thick growth of bramble alongside any of the above type of fence makes an effective barrier for safety and security.
Security fencing
Most community gardens are made in existing gardens with walls, hedges or fences that give some measure of security. Allotments or permaculture gardens are vulnerable to thieving of vegetables and produce, and ornamental gardens may have newly planted shrubs dug up, turves removed or other materials stolen. The more intensively the garden is planted and landscaped, the more vulnerable it is. Security fencing 1.8m or higher may be the only answer, but is expensive and not usually covered by grant-aid. A community garden with high security fencing is something of a contradiction in terms. Supervision, frequent use and involvement by the local community will help protect a site, but it may be that investment of time and money on a site where these factors are not present is bound for disappointment. A less ambitious project, and a slow build up of local involvement may be the better approach.
Barriers
Barriers may be neccessary to stop people driving vehicles and motor bikes onto a site. Low ‘trip fencing’ of round timbers on low posts, wired to deter vandals with saws, may be sufficient.
In other areas, large blocks of stone positioned by digger have been found to be the only effective method. Another technique is to use a digger to dig a wide ditch, about a metre deep, with a steep face on the side away from the road. Depending on the location and whether or not it holds water, it may need marking with posts or fencing for safety reasons.
Wide shallow ditches or small ponds are also effective as long as they stay water-filled. Motor-cycle access to part of the woods managed by Woodscape was prevented by damming a stream to make a small pond across the access point. Access on foot was retained by placing large stepping stones across the pond, making an attractive feature as well as an effective barrier.
