Drilling prior to treatment allows preservatives additional access to wood during treatment. It also prevents decay access to the untreated interior wood that can occur with post treatment drilling. The species choice is important in relation to which preservative system can be used, size of the pole needed and the potential exposure to deterioration. Depending on the species, the preservative system should be specified. Oil borne preservatives, while offering a potential long life, are more susceptible to depletion than water borne preservatives that basically become fixed to the wood cells.
Some preservatives work better with certain species.
Some treated poles are easier to climb, some are more expensive, and there are always environmental issues with any preservative system. Once it is determined which pole and preservative system is wanted, verification of conformance to the specifications needs to be assured. Conditioning poles is critical to insure that they obtain the necessary amount and depth of preservative treatment. The conditioning process also sterilizes the wood prior to treatment to stop and prevent decay. This process should be monitored to assure that, while promoting maximum treatment and sterilization potential, it does not weaken wood or retard the preservative penetration of the poles.