Who’d of Thunk? Worn-Out Wood from Wyoming Snow Fences are a HOT Commodity!

In a recent Wyoming Department of Transportation report, Public Affairs Director Doug McGee discusses why snow fences are an invaluable protection against drifts and ice on the roads.

Although their design is fairly simple, they're far from maintenance free. The fences need to be repaired and sometimes replaced about every eight years.

Snow fences take a beating from the sun, wind, and harsh weather year-round...that said, the weathered lumber is highly desirable.

Maintenance staff technician Duard C. Dilday says that an undisclosed company actually reached out to WYDOT after seeing a boom in weathered wood from old barns and made an offer to pay to harvest worn-out wood from the snow fences.

WYDOT photo

Most snow fences need re-facing, but some require full replacement from time to time. WYDOT pays for the maintenance work on the fences while charging the contractor for the salvaged wood. The Department claims the costs effectively cancel out.

The weathered wood gets a second life and WYDOT gets help maintaining more than 400 miles of wooden snow fence with the money saved applied to road maintenance.

What a win-win!