Once upon a time I had a rogue pig tearing up my back field and was never able to spot it. When clearing up some land I started piling up the debris along the property line, figured it wouldn't hurt. This is a wooded area, one side bordered by unoccupied land and the other side by a state access lane( for getting to forest fires), I have never seen the lane used except by horse riders on occasion. I want to impede any flow of traffic on each side because of no immediate line of sight. Initially I will consider natural barriers of tree stumps, rock, and large limbs because of the cost and maintenance of fencing. A compact tractor can probably get back in there. A foundation of an old domicile remains and a couple of wells, there was a concrete planter there at one time and can you believe someone stole the dang thing, not that I wanted it but the fact that someone had the balls to sneak in and haul it out ticked me off. They had to come via the access lane with a 4 wheeler I'd say. Lots of hunting going on around here and people use their 4 wheelers to haul out game. I have not been able to find much on blocking traffic in wooded areas with natural debris walls.
Natural barriers in wooded areas
- Thread starter brandx
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I think the best way to do this is with growth of bushes. Plant or transplant them along the desired area.
Danil54grl
Top Poster
How bout BlackBerry bushes? They grow like crazy even in the woods as long as they can get a few hours of sunlight everyday. When we cleared off some of our wooded property they were everywhere. . .
maybe cedar trees and some old brambles, but trying to keep a
Gator or 4 wheeler out. (Gator as in John Deere). don't think too much will grow well as it is heavily shaded. I have an old rusty disk that is broken, I may take it back to plug a hole. Thanks
You know any old bramble might help. but Multiple Roses are out because some idiot introduced them; the idea being to create living fences. The things went wild and are everywhere, considered noxious now and everyone trying to be rid of them. They are one tough son of a gun to clear out. If I thought I could control those that would be ideal. Like they introduced Kudzu to help with erosion, leave it to scientists to come up with a really NOT great idea.
Danil54grl
Top Poster
As I was clearing out some of my old prickly pear cactus I thought of you and your post. . . If only they grew in shades areas! Gotta be real careful working around them cause they will bite you. The fine hairs are the worst cause some you can't even see and they stick into you. Very fast growing for anyone with full sun. . .
Gazrok
A True Doomsday Prepper
Stinging nettles are good (not as a barrier) , but in addition to one. I'm near immune to them by now (after deliberate exposure over the course of nearly 6 years). (I should say, my feet and legs are immune to them...) They just always seem to come back, and I enjoy working outside barefoot. I like to feel the earth in my toes.
I learned months ago, that this immunity does NOT transfer to my hands, when I absent mindedly thought I was picking some daisies, and they weren't..... LOL.
I learned months ago, that this immunity does NOT transfer to my hands, when I absent mindedly thought I was picking some daisies, and they weren't..... LOL.
bigpaul
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they sure do, when I first went onto the land I used to live on I had to clear a path just to get to the door of the caravan/trailer.
I then had to clear the area I was going to use for vegetable growing. a lot of hard work.
jimLE
A True Doomsday Prepper
only option i can come up with.is anything/everything with thorns.longer the thorns,the better.to me,that includes vines bushes and trees alike.
I have some kind of cactus that belonged to my great grandmother, it grows in Indiana and has those fine hairs of which you speak. I hear ya.
Honey locust trees.....
Maverick
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Try to keep whatever you plant native to the area as not to appear out of place, stinging nettles is a good option and native, mixed in something like red sprite winterberry which is semi-native. Blackberries are intrusive and hard to control, while winterberries are poisonous nettles are not and a good survival plant (herb) 
Aralia Spinosa, commonly called "The Devil's Walking Stick", "Hercules Club", "Prickly Ash", or "Prickly Elder" is a small tree that grows in clusters forming clonal thickets and have some wicked thorns. It is closely related to wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) We have a number of Aralia Spinosa thickets on our place in the Mississippi Delta. In the winter, the young trees are straight limbless trunks 10-15 ft tall with nothing but thorns on them looking like a dense thicket of small dead tree trunks. Mature trees have a canopy at the top. The wood has some commercial value because of being exceptionally straight due to the lack of limbs.
The leaves can be picked before the prickles harden and cooked or eaten raw. The fruit is edible. The bark, dried leaves, roots, and fruit all have medicinal properties.
The leaves can be picked before the prickles harden and cooked or eaten raw. The fruit is edible. The bark, dried leaves, roots, and fruit all have medicinal properties.
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Gazrok
A True Doomsday Prepper
Ouchies.
We get a lot of pokeweed too, especially in the rainy season. I hate that stuff. But, I usually have to clear it out, as it's dangerous for the horses. Wouldn't mind it on the outside of the fence though.
We get a lot of pokeweed too, especially in the rainy season. I hate that stuff. But, I usually have to clear it out, as it's dangerous for the horses. Wouldn't mind it on the outside of the fence though.
pixelphotographer
Member
I paid our local forestry department to come build fire breaks on my property lines. They pushed up bush and trees with their bulldozers into large piles on the border lines and left me nice clean roads on the inside that I can travel with my smaller tractor or 4 wheeler. The only accesss to those roads is have to come up my driveway which has a gate.
firewallsrus
Member
I like the blackberry idea. Very low-key and not noticeable, plus you can't beat blackberry cobbler. I would also find out what catbriers like to eat and feed them well wherever you want a barrier. Combined with blackberries or dewberries, I think you might have a winner. https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/catbrier
