By my calculations, you need to build 300 Wattle Fences (which also means you need to collect 3 000 branches) to reach rank 15.
And that's with the current 2x system.
At launch, according to plan, it will 600 Fences.
And that's only to reach level 15 (which then allows you to make a forge and anvil).
It's a huge grind, has absolutely (like some other grinds in game) no purpose at all.
What is its function? A time sink? Is that really the best way to sink time?
I could also mention other skills etc but I'll just focus on this one since imo the same arguments apply in all cases.