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In a little coastal town I saw a business using sliced wood trunk as pavers. They look like 2" thick, 18" in diameter. Probably not as permanent as mason pavers, but I imagine it's pretty cheap maybe even free. Most importantly, they look pretty good. I will upload an actual picture later today, but I think online has plenty of such images.
I happen to need a paver that is a good compromise between durability, lightweight, and cost. I am paving a 300' trail; using mason pavers can cost a fortune plus it is heavy to handle. I think wood is a great solution. Even if they rot away in N years, I can just replenish them.
A quick scan of the Craigslist FREE section shows there are different types of wood available, all free for the taking. So far I have seen birch, pine, eucalyptus. Apparently lots of people remove trees and need to get rid of the the debris including the trunk. I just need to get a chainsaw and cut them into disks.
So my question is this: For paving purpose, with ground contact, what type(s) of wood that we can is best among those commonly available for free (those that people remove from property)? What should I avoid? For example, I heard eucalyptus is a weak wood; maybe that is least suitable?
Search soil cement or macadam paving.
Use free wood for garden structures and log benches
I agree with the general consensus, though I can imagine it would look pretty, is it half logs you planned to use? Would scoring them someway help?
I hike a trail that part of it is so wet, 'they' put treated wood 'bridges" along a whole section. At first, it was fine to walk on them, and stay out of the mud. After a year or so they got slippery, so I went back to walking in the brush and mud, as did everyone else, judging by the trail along the bridges. Then they fastened hardware cloth along all the bridges. I thought that was brilliant, at first. Then I discovered in winter, the little squares just filled up with ice and snow. By the next spring the hardware cloth was no longer flat and smooth either and kept catching on the tread of my boots, tripping me up. So, back into the mud I went. As did everyone else.
Leave it natural or fill it with wood chips (which I assume will have to be refreshed periodically).
I won't suggest gravel, because I can't walk on graveled paths myself. Gravel hurts. There are a few trails I can't go on any more at all, because they've been graveled. There's one that goes around a reservoir, it was made from an old railway bed. I know the views are stupendous, but I just can't walk on gravel.
Robert, you are in Redwood country, you can't find a more durable, ground contact wood in your area. The problem will be to find suitable "paver" size pieces. The recent storms in the Pacific Coast range may have brought down some smaller Redwood trees that could be cut up in paver size...but it will have white sap wood attached, which will rot fairly rapidly.
Camac St. in Philadelphia used to have wood pavers. You can still see them in the google streetview images from before 2017. You can also see where the wood block intersects with the belgian block. I used to work nearby and walked on this street in call kinds of weather. I don't ever remember it being slippery.
The city stopped replacing the blocks ca. 2017 because it was too labor intensive - it was an alley that was a favorite as a pedestrian shortcut but it also had a fair amount of cars driving on it. The blocks got beat up and needed to be replaced frequently. Shouldn't be too much of a problem if it's ped only.
Best wood for ground contact is either redwood or cedar.
Seriously, try some coarse gravel and put some driveway fabric underneath it so it doesn't sink into the mud
I feel I need solid pieces of pavers, of whatever material, because one main goal is to suppress vegetation. I fear that even with gravel they can still come out from the cracks, maybe even in one season? This is my experience with the areas I have put in weed guard. Thistle and other weed still come out; just at a slower rate and more sporadic. Thistle seems can live right above the weed guard. With wood, even if it rots away, I am thinking they should at least last a few years if thick enough.
I feel I need solid pieces of pavers, of whatever material, because one main goal is to suppress vegetation. I fear that even with gravel they can still come out from the cracks, maybe even in one season? This is my experience with the areas I have put in weed guard. Thistle and other weed still come out; just at a slower rate and more sporadic. Thistle seems can live right above the weed guard. With wood, even if it rots away, I am thinking they should at least last a few years if thick enough.
Robert, you are in Redwood country, you can't find a more durable, ground contact wood in your area. The problem will be to find suitable "paver" size pieces. The recent storms in the Pacific Coast range may have brought down some smaller Redwood trees that could be cut up in paver size...but it will have white sap wood attached, which will rot fairly rapidly.
That is a great idea. I might even have some on my land. Probably need to review rules about drift wood; in my area we can take a certain limited quantity per day.
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