The Potential of Wood-Based Composite Poles

Wood-based composite utility poles are rece!VIng increasing attention in the North American pole market. This interest is being driven by many increasing factors such as increasing: (I) disposal costs of solid wood poles, (2) liability and environmental concerns with traditional means of disposal of solid wood poles, (3) cost and concerns of long-term availability of pole-sized timber, and ( 4) environmental concerns and awareness of the general public regarding recycling, forest sustainability, ground \Vater contamination, etc. There have been several research projects over the years that have explored various methods of developed wood-based composite poles with vmying degrees of success. This paper sunnnarizes the past and current efforts of developing wood-based composite utility poles with an emphasis on recent collaborative efforts based at the Louisiana State University AgCenter. The omission of any wood-based composite pole effmis is unintentional, and we ask readers to bring such omissions to our attention. INTRODUCTION 'I11e use of wood poles in communication systems dates back to 1844 when the first conunercial telegraph system was constructed fi:om Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, MD (Panshin eta!. 1950). This marked the beginning of pole production in the forest products indushy. After about 40 years, poles were first used in another transmission system the electrical power transmission lines. "\Vood poles are now widely used in communication and power transmission systems around the \vorld. In 1998, about 130 to 150 million wood poles were used to calTy overhead cables for electric, telephone and cables in the United States (Canadian Instih1te of Treated Wood (CITW) 1998). Recent estimates are that there are more than 10 million utility poles in service in North America most of them are made from sofuvood species (USDA FPL 2008). Both conmmnication and electrical companies consume about two million wood poles in annual constmction of nev;r lines. One to two million poles are used to replace poles in service due to decay and/or mechanical damage (Erickson 1994). Wood is an ideal material for poles. With the development of new materials and processing techniques, poles made from materials other than wood entered in the transmission and distribution markets. Spun concrete, light duty steel, and fiberglass are the tlu·ee impmiant sources of such materials. Since wood is subject to rot, decay and degradation, all of these materials are more durable than wood. Ivloreover, the weight of fiberglass poles is even lighter than wood poles. Nonetheless, wood is still the material of choice for poles in the U.S. This is due to the intrinsic attributes of wood. Compared to other poles materials such as steel and concrete, wood is produced from a renewable natural resource, which is resilient and extremely resistant to oxidation, corrosion, fatigue, cn1mbling, and spalling. If properly preservative-treated, wood is protected against the biological agents that cause it to weaken and collapse in nat11re, (i.e., fungi and termites). Wood poles are easily climbed, more than adequately strong and easily machined. The decisive factor that \Vood is preferred over other materials is its low cost. Engineering Data Management Inc. (EDM) compared life-cycle costs of four types of poles (wood, light-duty steel, fiberglass (FRT), and spun concrete), and the results indicated that wood poles are the least expensive life-cycle choice in most