Wood poles have been used to support utility distribution lines for well over 100 years. Over that time, specifications for a "wood utility pole" have evolved from the closest available tree stem more than 15 ft in length to straight, durable timbers of lengths ranging up 125 ft and base diameters of as much as 27 in. The continued success of wood poles in this application is due in part to the development of consensus standards. These standards define the phrase "minimum acceptable" to the satisfaction of both users and producers. They also encourage more competitive pricing by relaxing species as well as quality limitations, opening the market to a broader range of available timber resources.