Zigzag rail fences are often seen in this ranching/forest area - some are quite old and others new. They are very labor intensive which is one reason we've never done one ourselves. I'm sure there are many ways of building these fences but I'll tell you what I know. At the bottom of each corner ranchers put either a chunk sliced off a log or a large flat stone to keep the rails off the ground so they don't rot too quickly. I've heard some people also drill a vertical hole thru the rails/logs at each 'corner' and place a rebar to hold the rails together. There is a way to build a 'gate' (which is not really a gate, as such) for people but which cattle and horses cannot get thru altho it's not easy to describe and I cannot find a pic online w/a quick search. What is done is that the fence is constructed so the person has to walk in a 'V' alley which is fairly narrow. Cattle and horses do not have space to do the same and will not walk where they cannot see a clear path. Maybe someone else can describe this better. It may not be what you need as it won't keep people or small animals out. Wherever you need access to this garden you could overlap the fencing leaving a space for people to walk. The rebar idea would help keep the fence together at those ends. I think it's the mass of the log rails that will keep it secure. Wouldn't be easy to push over. If you do need a proper gate for security you could use a couple of posts in those areas and hang the gate on them. Use spikes to connect the rails to the posts in those areas (or wire them together) otherwise the posts won't stay vertical. Some physics involved in fence building when it comes to dealing with the stress at corners and gates. I haven't read this site but there are pics showing this type of fence. Here is a link that might be useful: stack rail fence

Plenty of if's, and's, and but's, but you can be creative on your grounding, but I wouldn't try it with an AC charger. If lightning strikes your fence and the charger isn't grounded, your house wiring will take the hit. I use solar and battery operated chargers with the 1 ft ground stake but my fences are no more than 600 meters long and the ground is moist. Lightning strikes ruin only the charger (if the lightning kits don't work). For me, AC chargers aren't worth the hassel of installing them to a standard that will keep your insurance rates reasonable and damages fixed by the insurance company if something happens. Dave

It's a fantastic idea. From what I'm reading, you want to use trees that are already growing on your property and transplant them along your 5 acre plot of land. When they get old enough, you want to cut off their limbs and use them as fence posts. The absence of limbs would not make them unstable, actually the reverse would be true. Now that they are cut down to size and removed of leaf bearing limbs the wind is not a concern. At its core, you are growing fence posts that dig themselves into the ground. No one worries about a fence post being blown over by the wind. As you've trimmed off the top and any limbs, the trees will probably quickly die which is exactly what you want. A firmly rooted post for a fence. Therefore, there isn't a problem with the tree growing over the fence wire (at least once the tree dies). Instead of buying trees at $8.99 a tree for every 8 feet (easily over $600 for 5 acres), why not just transplant the young trees that are already growing on your land for free. If you want an electric fence, go for it. It would be no different from a fence made from posts except that the trees would be far studier than any post could ever be. If anything, you might consider woods that are non-toxic to your animals (if any) and resistant to rot.

No, it was a bluebird birdhouse with a 24" baffle! I have 14 birdhouses, only 4 have wiring and rest have baffles. Now I have improved it for better protection - 4' baffle instead of 2'. About the electric fence wire - I just wrote on the birdwatching forum about the Brown thrasher nest with same electric fence wire setup to help protect the bush from snakes (I posted pictures) http://nature.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bird/msg0622391128646.html Yesterday I saw a snake touch it, and it got zapped and backed up very quickly! I'm still not 100% sure this border will work if there is a more stubborn snake, or with a small snake that could squeeze under it, but now I know it IS working and a snake DOES get shocked from an electric fence wire when it's body is on the grass (the grass was dry). The pole has more wiring than the border, so now I think the electric fence wire may even be better than a baffle, at least better than the recommended small 24" baffle. Also, the birdhouse in the first picture (at the top of this page) has both - the baffle and wire, as I wrote last Sunday It's strange, but in all the years I have lived here I have never had so many LARGE snakes in the yard at one time. I left a chicken egg in the barn last night for "snake detection" and also to help keep their belly full, so they might be less creative about how to get birds. The egg was gone this morning. Tonight I'll leave more. I feel like I'm in the "Snakes on a Plane" movie :)