Customer Story: A Black Hog Wire Fence on the Forest’s Edge in Comox, BC

Phil N. and his family have lived in their Comox home for more than 17 years, and for all of that time the backyard simply ran into the forest. It's a beautiful setting, and a public one: the woods behind the house are used every day for trail walking, biking and dog walking. Over time, that meant stray dogs, and sometimes their owners, wandering onto the property.

They wanted a fence that would mark the property line and keep the trail traffic out, but they weren't willing to give up the view of the forest from the yard, the kitchen deck and the living room. Their answer was BarrierBoss black hog wire in pressure-treated frames.

The Goal: A Clear Property Line Along a Public Forest Trail

Living next to a forest trail has real perks: towering firs, birdsong and a view that changes with every season. It also means a steady stream of walkers, cyclists and dogs passing just beyond the backyard. Without a fence, there was nothing to show where the trail ended and the yard began, and loose dogs had no reason to stop.

Phil and his family wanted two things from the new fence. As he put it, the purpose was "to keep stray dogs and owners off our property, while also preserving and demarcating our property line."

Why Hog Wire Instead of a Solid Privacy Fence

A solid privacy fence would have solved the trail problem and cost them the reason they love the house. They chose hog wire specifically to keep "the open and unobstructed views of the forest from our yard, kitchen deck and living room."

The 4" x 4" black mesh does exactly that. Up close, it's a firm, rigid barrier that a dog can't push through. From the deck, the black wire fades into the shadows of the trees, and what you see is the forest.

The Fence: Black Hog Wire in Pressure-Treated Frames

The order was six 5' x 8' Black Hog Wire Fence Panels with 4" x 4" mesh, built into pressure-treated frames and delivered ready to install. To finish the line without odd gaps, BarrierBoss also built two custom-width panels, one 77.5" wide and one 56" wide, at the same 5' height. Nine 4" x 4" x 8' pressure-treated posts carry the eight panels, one more post than panels, which is exactly what a straight run needs.

The panels are rigid 6-gauge wire, hot-dipped and heavy galvanized, then finished with a black dip-coat. The pressure-treated lumber is kiln dried before treatment (KDBT), so the frames arrive straight and stable. A 5' height is tall enough to stop dogs and make the boundary obvious, and low enough to keep the fence from dominating the view.

The Install: Done in Under Three Days

The family's landscaping company installed the fence, and the job took them less than three days. Because the panels arrived framed and ready, the crew could spend their time on what matters on a forested lot: setting posts around roots and between the big trunks, and keeping the line straight across uneven ground.

Where the new fence meets the neighbouring fences at the side of the lot, a panel closes the gap so the line is complete from end to end.

The Result: An Oasis With a Clear Boundary

From the deck, the backyard now looks finished. A curved patio with Adirondack chairs and string lights sits in front of a planted border, and behind it the fence quietly marks the line with the forest rising beyond. Walkers and dogs stay on the trail side, and the family still gets the full view.

The response has been just as positive from people who visit. In Phil's words: "We love it and our friends and neighbours have complimented the functionality and esthetic look of the final product."

Why Hog Wire Worked on a Forest Property Line

This project shows why hog wire is often the right fence for a lot that backs onto trails, parkland or forest:

• A real boundary, not a wall. Rigid 4" x 4" mesh stops dogs and makes the property line obvious, while keeping the view from every window.
• Built around the trees. Framed sections set between posts let the fence work around big trunks and roots instead of clearing them.
• Custom widths to finish the line. Two custom-width panels closed the run cleanly, with no awkward gaps.
• Fast to install. Panels that arrive framed and ready meant a landscaping crew finished about 60 feet in under three days.
• Made for coastal weather. Galvanized, dip-coated steel holds up to Vancouver Island rain, and BarrierBoss steel carries a 40-year warranty.