Palisade

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For other uses, see Palisades (disambiguation).

A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, used as a defensive structure.

Typical construction consisted of small or midsized trunks of trees aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks would be driven into the ground, and would sometimes be reinforced with additional construction. The height of a palisade can range from a few feet or more to nearly ten feet. As a defensive structure, palisades were often used in conjunction with earthworks.

Palisades were an excellent option for small forts or other hastily constructed fortifications. Since they were wood, they could be quickly and easily built from materials readily available. They proved to be effective protection for short-term conflicts, and were an effective deterrent against small forces. However, due to their wooden construction, they were also very vulnerable to fire and siege weapons.

Often, a palisade would be constructed around a castle as a temporary wall until a permanent stone wall could be erected. They were frequently used in New France.