What kind of tree's are telephone poles made from?

I was curious to know if they have a specific type, height, etc...This came to mind when I was stuck in traffic the other day and they were replacing one that had been destroyed by a car accident. Any ideas??|||Most are cedar.





"Utility poles are divided into ten classes, from 1 to 10. The classes' definition specifies a minimum circumference that depends on the species of tree and the length of the pole. This circumference is measured 6 feet from the butt of the pole. There is also a minimum top circumference that is the same for all species and lengths.





For example, a class 1 pole has a minimum top circumference of 27 inches. If it is 25 feet long and cedar (most utility poles are cedar), the circumference measured 6 feet from the bottom must be at least 43.5 inches.





The higher the class number, the skinnier the pole. Pole lengths start at 16 feet and increase by 2-foot steps to 22 feet, then by fives from 25 feet to 90 feet. A 90-foot class 1 western red cedar pole weighs about 6,600 pounds. A 16-foot pole weighs only about 700.





Standards (from ANSI) severely limit or exclude various types of damage, including bird holes and insect boring, and describe ways of specifying the pole's straightness.





On curves, hillsides, or other locations where there's an unbalanced pull on the pole, standard practice calls for increasing the portion of the pole that is buried. For example, for poles being set along a straight line, 6 feet of a 35-foot pole would be buried, but if the pole were on a curve, 6.5 feet.





A 35-foot pole is a typical length used in cities to carry one or two crossarms. Poles are spaced about 100 feet to 150 feet apart, with 125 feet being typical."|||hard wood|||Georgia Pine coated in tar|||most likely pine, which has been pressure treated with creosote|||I pulled this from something I found online:





Thursday August 5, 2004


Dear Yahoo!:


What kinds of trees are used to make telephone poles?


Neal


New York, New York





Dear Neal:


Very tall, straight ones without any branches? Actually, after trudging through a forest of search results, we discovered that a number of different trees are used to make telephone poles.


A poem about cedars lauds the trees for their weather-resistant wood and their use as telephone poles. We have no doubt retired telecommunications officer and poet Delmar Murray knew what he was talking about, but we searched for corroboration.





According to the web site of one phone company, the most common type of tree used is the chestnut. Chestnut trees are fairly common and can grow up to 100 feet. Their wood is strong, easy to work with, and rot-resistant, making them the ideal material for telecommunication poles.





And at a woodworking web site, we learned that several types of pine trees are used as well.





If you're interested in identifying the wood of a particular pole, look for a two-letter code that is either burned into the pole or noted on a metal plate. This identifies the type of tree that gave its life in the interests of clearer communication.