CCG Blog listing page

May 12, 2023

Two of the most popular tropical hardwoods are now on the CITES Appendix II of the endangered species act. This is good news for Cumaru and Ipe trees, but it presents major pricing and availability challenges to the markets that...

Apr 6, 2023

Speaking with line workers, I’ve heard concerns that Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) utility poles present more health hazards than wood poles. The presumption is that the fibrous glass dust produced when cutting a synthetic pole...

Feb 23, 2023

Animals in remote areas do more harm to wood poles than people realize, and they can do a lot of damage very fast. Woodpeckers bore holes in poles to get at the termites within, and bees can make homes in the holes left behind....

Jul 21, 2022

Wood has been the most utilized material for utility poles for many decades. But wood has always been at the mercy of Mother Nature. Humans haven’t yet created an artificial process to create wood like we have for lab-grown...

Jun 28, 2022

Any utility providing power to rural areas faces unique challenges. So too do utilities serving areas that experience regular, extreme weather events. One Maine utility had to address both.

The utility faced several challenges:...

Jun 10, 2022

The average lifespan of a wood utility pole could be many years – but not when woodpeckers have anything to say about it.

Woodpeckers present the single largest threat to the durability and longevity of wood utility poles in the...

May 17, 2022

Earth currently has around three trillion trees. This may seem like a lot until you consider that this is half as many as existed before human civilization arose. As we said in a recent blog on climate change, no one and nothing...

May 10, 2022

Climate change is negatively affecting everyone and everything, including infrastructure. Even without climate-related problems, the United States’ infrastructure is in sorry shape. The Council on Foreign Relations has explained...

Apr 13, 2022

Wood treatment facilities using pentachlorophenol – commonly referred to as “penta” – have until February 2027 to use penta on their products, while penta manufacturers must cease penta production by February 2024.

Apr 9, 2020

The United States has experienced a number of large storms within the last ten years, ranging from ice and snow to hurricanes, storm surges, and strong winds. After each storm, there has been an increased focus on the response....