Fence damage caused by contact with dirt

Fence board ends buried in dirt. Evidence of prolonged moisture contact with rot and moss growth.

Ever hear the advice to keep dirt away from the bottom of your fence boards? There is definitely a reason to keep a clear space for any piece of wood that is close to the ground. Dirt and earth in contact with the bottoms of fence boards are a perfect place for water and moisture to be in prolonged contact. 

These fence sections have close contact with dirt and earth. Lots of moisture retention capability in Washington state.

Board ends buried in dirt. Note all the retained moisture.

Any kind of wood in prolonged contact with moisture will eventually rot. The fence boards in these pictures had their ends buried in the dirt for the past few years. The moisture retained in the dirt has been slowly rotting away the ends.

The middle fence board is a bit short. Rotted away from prolonged dirt contact.

You can see the progression of the rot in the ends of these boards.

Extensive rot damage on this board. Not much holding it to the bottom rail at this point.

This fence section is fairly damaged and the affected boards need to be replaced. To prevent future damage, the homeowner should keep a clear space between the bottom of the boards and the earth. The easiest solution is to raise the replacement boards up by an inch or so on the rails. Alternatively the dirt could be removed and sloped away from the fence line. By keeping a clear space under the boards, water contact is kept to a minimum and the fence will last a lot longer.