What Trees Are Telephone Poles Made Of?
Last Updated Mar 26, 2020 12:14:38 PM ET
In the United States, telephone poles are most frequently made out of Southern pine, red pine, lodgepole pine, Western red cedar and Douglas fir trees. In the early 20th century, American chestnuts were also popular for building poles, until the species was almost wiped out by chestnut blight.
These specific trees are preferred over other species for several reasons. Their trunks grow particularly straight and taper very little from base to tip. The wood from these trees is resistant to rot and has few defects and knots, and they grow tall enough to sling wire at heights appropriate for housing and other buildings.
More From Reference
Here’s How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed In-Person Retail Shopping in Lasting Ways
A Brief History of Insults: How Different Cultures Use Spoken and Written Verse to Mock and Mediate
Monkeydactyl and the Little Foot Fossil: Major Evolutionary Breakthroughs of 2021 (So Far)
Fact Check: How Accurate Are Farmers Almanac Weather Forecasts in Comparison to Weather Apps?
What Annual Income Is Considered Poverty Level & How Was the Federal Poverty Level Established?
Tokyo 2020: Here's How the First Modern Olympics Started 125 Years Ago