[Technical Note] Comparison of Wood Utility Crossarm Properties from 1995 and 2015

In response to changes in forest management and conversion practices, concern has arisen that some solid wood products manufactured today exhibit decreased strength and stiffness properties (modulus of rupture [MOR] and modulus of elasticity [MOE]) compared with those manufactured in the past. This study addresses those concerns by comparing the mechanical properties of wood utility crossarms sampled in 2015 with those of a similar sample of crossarms from 1995. Destructive bending tests were performed on crossarm samples of southern pine (Pinus spp.) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). These data were compared with data from a similar 1995 study by H. M. Barnes and J. E. Winandy (pp. 30?38, in Proc. 97th Annu. Meet. AWPA, 2001). The results showed a statistically significant difference (7.1% reduction) at the a?0.01 level of mean MOR in southern pine and a statistically significant difference (13.3% reduction) at the a?0.01 level of mean MOE in
Douglas-fir. Distribution analyses also suggested a reduction of strength performance in the lower percentiles for both species groups between the two studies.

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