BULLETIN OF THE 
No. 67 
Contribution from the Forest Service, Henry S. Graves, Forester. 
March 17, 1914. 
(PROFESSIONAL PAPER.) 
TESTS OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN WOODS FOR 
TELEPHONE POLES. 
By Norman deW. Betts and A. L. Heim, 
Engineers in Forest Products. 
POLE SUPPLY IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION. 
The rapid extension of telephone and power lines in the West makes 
the question of pole supply one of increasing importance. Tests 
described in this bulletin show that both green and fire-killed lodge- 
pole pine and fire-killed Engelmann spruce will, under certain con- 
ditions, make suitable pole timbers. Western red cedar has long 
been the standard pole timber in the Western States. It has held its 
place mainly on account of its durability in contact with the soil, 
though its light weight has also been a very desirable feature. The 
tree (Thuja plicata) grows principally in Washington, Oregon, and 
northern Idaho. In addition to its wide use for poles, it is extensively 
cut for lumber, and especially for shingles. In the States south of its 
region of growth the cost of cedar is high, owing to the great dis- 
tances over which it must be transported. Moreover, the heavy 
drain on the available supply must soon result in higher stump- 
age prices. There are at present in both the Rocky Mountain and 
Coast Ranges abundant stands of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), often 
called by local lumbermen " white pine/ ; of little value for lumber, 
but well adapted for poles. Lodgepole pine is not naturally durable 
in contact with the ground, and for that reason has not been able to 
enter the field as a competitor of western red cedar. The general 
adoption of preservative treatment I by railroad and telephone com- 
panies, however, has changed the situation. At an additional cost 
for treatment that still leaves the pine pole the cheaper of the two 
in most of the markets outside the region where cedar grows, the 
pine may be made to last longer than untreated cedar. Lodgepole 
1 The preservative treatment of poles is discussed in Forest Service Bulletin 84. 
Note.— This bulletin gives the results of tests on western red cedar, lodgepole pine, and Engelmann 
spruce poles to determine their suitability for telephone lines. Values are presented for fiber stress at 
elastic limit, modulus of rupture, stiffness, and modulus of elastic resilience. Of value to lumbermen 
in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast States and to users of telephone poles. 
22740°— 14 1 
