[TowerTalk] followup question on verticals in trees

[Bill Aycock]

Tulip Poplars are very prevalent in my area; I  have hundreds. Locally they 
are logged for lumber for furniture frames, and shipped to the North 
Carolina Furniture factories..
I see one drawback to the Poplar as antenna supports; They are prone to 
lightning strikes. I have many with evidence of "hits". After a lightning 
strike, the tree will frequently fork above the hit, or develop an "S" 
shaped  growth pattern. There is also, frequently, a strip of bark that has 
been peeled off by the heat from the strike.
Your area may not be as prone to lightning as ours, so this may not be a 
problem.
Good luck- Bill

At 10:49 AM 9/16/2004 -0400, RICHARD BOYD wrote:

>Thanks all for the responses on verticals in woods/trees.  I haven't read or
>responded to them all yet, but plan to.
>
>Meantime, I have a followup question that's occurred to me, another
>practical, simple, real world kind of question.
>
>I have some trees in the woods that I am hoping are at least 130' so that I
>can put up fullsize 160M verticals without having them slope.  If it turns
>out they're only 110' or 120', so that I have to have them slope some, how
>undesirable is that?  How much do you expect the performance will suffer?
>What if the trees are only 90' or 100'?  (Although I do think the trees are
>at least 110').  Note:  the tallest trees we have here in Maryland are
>"tulip poplars," also called, I think, "tulip trees," that according to the
>tree book can get to be 150', and I think I have seen some that big over
>near the Severn River (at K3HQ's 30-acre place) -- and I measured the ones
>at my old place as 120' (by climbing my 160' tower 'til the treetops were at
>eye level and gauging it that way).  These trees have a "habit" of being
>"columnar," and I have noticed they do this when they are growing amongst
>other trees.  A tulip poplar growing by itself in the middle of a field
>tends to become rounder, not as "columnar" and straight, not as tall.  They
>aggressively grow tall to get up to the canopy top and get sunlight.
>
>73 - Rich, KE3Q
>
>73 - Rich, KE3Q
>_______________________________________________
>
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>Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with 
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>
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Bill Aycock - W4BSG
Woodville, Alabama