Back in the Nov 9 digest the Mean old Lineman wrote "There is no comparison between the early Phone poles and the 45 foot class 4 poles of today. Today's 45 foot pole weight's Est. 1200 on the low end and 25 foot 1900 phone pole weighed 225 pounds according to their early estimates"

While I was scavenging in the utilities yard a few days ago I noticed these 80 ft fibreglass poles. I asked a few questions and was surprised by what he told me.

They normally use 72 ft red cedar poles on this highline, but in some places they will install one of these fibreglass poles. One reason given was nuisance woodpeckers. Woodpeckers are territorial and they way they define their territory is by noise. They have certain trees that they go to frequently and drill on. They are not looking for food or making a nesting hole but are advertising their presence - their territory. Just replacing one wood pole with another is pointless as the birds simply start over on the new pole. A fibreglass pole encourages them to pick another 'tree'.

The 80 ft poles weigh 1200 lbs and come in four telescoping sections. For transport they are shipped one inside the other as you can see in the picture. While the true cost was not know, the yard supervisor guessed their price at $ 5-6,000 or 3 times the cost of a $2,000 cedar pole. However the cost can be justified because they have an indefinite lifespan unlike the wood poles of just a few decades.

Sometimes instead of replacing a pole, they will simply wrap it with fibreglass, again to deter the woodpeckers. I have seen these wrapped poles from time to time but never understood reasoning.