A cedar fence can provide both an aesthetic and a durable solution to your fencing needs. Cedar is an extremely weather resistant and hard wearing material, with a long and successful history of use in the construction industry. Cedar has been used as roof shingles and siding for over a hundred years, and many of the properties which have used it are still in good condition today. There is no reason why the robust properties of cedar cannot be used to construct an effective cedar fence.
There are different types of cedar which are effective in totally different situations. The cedar which is used in closets and chests is an aromatic red cedar, and this is used almost exclusively indoors. The cedars which are used in construction are white cedars, often from the northern states of the USA. It is this white cedar which will be suitable for building a cedar fence, whether you use it just for the posts, or the fencing panels, or the entire fence.
Cedar is inherently a very hard wearing wood, and it can last for decades in the right circumstances. A well build cedar roof, for example, can last for half a century if the water drains properly and the climate is not too harsh. Recent technologies have made cedar even more robust, and there is always the option to add a finish which can toughen it even further. When you are planning a cedar fence project, you need to look at both the aesthetic properties of the finish, and the extra life it can give to the fence.
One of the great merits of cedar is that it is a purely natural product. It can be grown in a sustainable and renewable way, and has the potential to play a great role in our future. Some of the finishes which can be applied to it to increase its strength and longevity are not natural products, and it will be up to you to decide whether or not you want to use them. Some of the most effective finishes to a cedar fence are oil based, so you will have the choice of whether to stick with purely natural products and have to replace the fence sooner, or using synthetic preservatives but saving on wood by extending its life.
A cedar fence will have some of the inherent problems of cedar decking, but not all. As a fence is vertical, it will not have water settling on it in the way decking does. Soil deposits will not be left as people walk upon it. On average, fencing should last around five to ten years longer than decking used in the same garden, but this could be reduced if you have a severe winter climate. If the fence keeps freezing, and then thawing out, this will age the wood at a faster rate. Keep the wood clean, give it a good finish, and you will extend the life of your cedar fence.