BURN PROTECTION FOR WOOD POLES

Abstract

Poles are protected from fire damage by forming a vegetation-free buffer zone around them that needs little or no routine maintenance to retain its effectiveness. This is implemented by pole-protection systems and methods that include a peripheral apron positioned around the pole and sized to form the desired vegetation-free zone, and a cover that covers and protects the apron. In example embodiments, the apron is made of a woven geotextile fabric with an annular shape, with a central opening for receiving the pole, with a radial slit forming free ends for displacing to install the apron around the pole and for returning and fastening in place to form a continuously extending peripheral sheet. And the cover is made of crushed and washed rock forming a rock bed that covers the apron to protect and insulate it from UV radiation and fire damage.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to support poles for elevated objects such as utility lines, and particularly to protecting wood utility poles from fire damage.

BACKGROUND

Utilities commonly install wood poles for suspending utility lines such as electric conductors and cables. A long-standing problem is that wood poles exposed to fire will ignite and burn near the ground level. Severely burnt poles can fail and come down, causing safety and reliability issues, as well as blocking access. This is particularly problem-some in areas that are remote and/or that have high incidences of wildfires, for example much of the western United States.

One conventional practice is to apply a fire retardant to the exposed base of each pole in an effort to reduce the likelihood of the pole igniting. Another conventional practice is to apply herbicides on the ground around the base of each pole in an effort to minimize the growth of vegetation that can ignite and in turn cause the pole to ignite. These solutions require regular vegetation-maintenance visits for reapplications and growth removal, and as such have not proven satisfactory in practice.

Accordingly, it can be seen that needs exist for improvements in protecting wood support poles from fire damage. It is to the provision of solutions meeting this and other needs that the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY

Generally described, the present invention relates to pole-protection systems and methods that include a peripheral apron positioned around the pole and sized to form a desired vegetation-free zone, and a cover that covers and protects the apron. In example embodiments, the apron is made of a woven geotextile fabric with an annular shape, with a central opening for receiving the pole, with a radial slit forming free ends for displacing to install the apron around the pole and for returning and fastening in place to form a continuously extending peripheral sheet. And the cover is made of crushed and washed rock forming a rock bed that covers the apron to protect and insulate it from UV radiation and fire damage. Accordingly, the pole-protection systems and methods protect the poles from fire damage by forming a vegetation-free buffer zone around them that needs little or no routine maintenance to retain its effectiveness.

The specific techniques and structures employed by the invention to improve over the drawbacks of the prior art and accomplish the advantages described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description of example embodiments of the invention and the appended drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a pole-protection system according to an example embodiment of the present invention, showing a peripheral apron and a peripheral apron cover in use protecting a wood utility pole from fire damage.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pole-protection system and the pole of FIG. 1, showing a portion of the pole-protection cover removed to reveal the underlying pole-protection apron.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional detail of the pole-protection system and a portion of the pole of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective-view detail of a portion of the pole of FIG. 1 ready for a method of installing the pole-protection system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows the pole portion of FIG. 4 with the surrounding vegetation removed according to the method of installing the pole-protection system.

FIG. 6 shows the pole portion of FIG. 5 with the pole-protection apron being installed around it according to the method of installing the pole-protection system.

FIG. 7 shows the pole portion of FIG. 6 with the pole-protection apron installed in place according to the method of installing the pole-protection system.

FIG. 8 shows the pole portion of FIG. 7 with the pole-protection cover installed in place over the pole-protection apron, to compete the installation, according to the method of installing the pole-protection system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawing figures, FIGS. 1-8 show a pole-protection system (aka pole protector) 10 according to an example embodiment of the invention. The pole protector 10 is shown in use protecting a wood utility pole 8, installed and supported in the ground 6 and supporting elevated utility lines 4, from damage from fire and associated heat.

The pole protector 10 is shown and described herein for use in protecting poles 8, which are intended to be broadly construed to include not just conventional cylindrical wooden utility poles but also other wood structures (e.g., frames, masts, uprights, posts, trees, large irrigation risers, etc.) for supporting other elevated objects and also poles made of other materials (e.g., metal poles that are not flammable but that can structurally weaken upon exposure to extreme heat). Also, the pole protector 10 is described herein for use in protecting poles 8 supporting elevated electric utility lines (e.g., conductors and cables) 4, but it can alternatively be used to protect poles supporting other elevated objects (e.g., CATV lines, outdoor lamps, cellular-network communications equipment, etc.) as well as to protect other objects such as pad-mounted utility and telecommunications equipment.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the pole protector 10 includes an apron 12 that peripherally surrounds and protects the pole 8, and a cover 14 that covers and protects the apron 12. The apron 12 is installed on the ground 6, typically after it has been cleared of vegetation 2, so that it peripherally surrounds the base/butt of the pole 8 at ground level and forms a vegetation-free zone extending continuously all the way around the pole 8. In the depicted embodiment, for example, the apron 12 is a woven geotextile fabric and the cover 14 is a rock bed, as described in detail below.

The apron 12 is made of a material selected for high strength and balanced permeability. In particular, the material of the apron 12 has a permeability (including water flow rate) that is sufficiently high to enable rainwater from normal rainfalls to drain/flow through it and into the ground 6 so that the water does not pool on the apron 12 and sit in or on the cover 14 enabling vegetation to grow upward from on top of the apron 12. At the same time, the material of the apron 12 has a permeability (including apparent opening/pore size) that is sufficiently low (with a sufficiently small opening/pore size) to prevent or at least minimize vegetation growth upward through it. For example, the apron material can have a permeability of about 0.0048 cm/sec to about 0.0032 cm/sec (or about 0.0044 cm/sec to about 0.0036 cm/sec more typically, or about 0.004 cm/sec in an example commercial embodiment) and a water flow rate of about 7.2 g/min/sf to about 4.8 g/min/sf (or about 6.6 g/min/sf to about 5.4 g/min/sf more typically, or about 6 g/min/sf in an example commercial embodiment).

Also, the material of the apron 12 has as a strength (e.g., tensile strength and puncture strength) that is sufficiently high to resist penetration by vegetation growth (e.g., it does not deform or fail under forces from vegetation growth) and to provide good durability (i.e., it's not easily punctured or torn by forces created by uneven ground 6, by the cover 14, and/or by persons walking on the cover 14). For example, the apron material can have a tensile strength of about 240 lbs to about 160 lbs (or about 220 lbs to about 180 lbs more typically, or about 200 lbs in an example commercial embodiment) and a puncture strength of about 120 lbs to about 80 lbs (or about 110 lbs to about 90 lbs more typically, or about 100 lbs in an example commercial embodiment).

This balanced permeability, combined with this high strength, prevent the majority of vegetation from being able to grow in the area where the apron 12 is installed around the pole 8. The balanced permeability of the apron 12 enables rainwater to flow down through it, past and away from the cover 14, to help keep the cover 14 clean so that windblown seeds to not lodge in the cover 14 and sprout vegetation growth, and at the same time is not easy for vegetation to grow through from below. Small amounts of short grasses may sprout seasonally, but any such growth would be insignificant because it would have almost no ability to root (the roots cannot typically grow downward through the apron 12 due to its permeability as described above). As such, the term “vegetation-free” is intended to mean substantially free of vegetation (not necessarily absolutely free of all vegetation) and further to refer to vegetation that is rooted in the ground and can act as fuel for fire, such that scattered tufts of unrooted short grass may still sprout/occur. In this way, use of the pole protector 10 eliminates, or at least substantially limits/controls, growth in the vegetation-free zone of any vegetation that can act as fuel for a fire.

In addition, the apron 12 material is typically selected with a sufficient flexibility so that it can be laid down on uneven ground and will generally conform to the ground (e.g., under the force of its own weight and the weight of the cover 14) for stability and to prevent undergrowth of vegetation. Also, the apron 12 material is typically selected with sufficient roughness/gripping properties that the cover 14 is frictionally encouraged to stay in place over it without additional securement.

In example embodiments, the apron 12 is made of a sheet of geotextile fabric selected with the prescribed high strength and balanced permeability. Typically, the geotextile fabric is a woven material, for example a cross-woven geotextile fabric in the medium strength category (e.g., about 150 oz to about 315 oz). In an example commercial embodiment, the medium-strength woven geotextile fabric is a 200 oz. woven geotextile fabric, for example about 22 mils thick, and for example made of high UV, non-biodegradable polypropylene tapes. One such geotextile sheet material is commercially available under the name AEF 200W woven geotechnical fabric (manufactured by American Engineered Fabrics) and available for purchase from US Fabrics, Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio). Example properties of the AEF 200W geotextile sheet material are provided in Table A.

TABLE A
AEF 200W Test Results
PROPERTY	TEST METHOD	ENGLISH UNITS
Tensile Strength	ASTM D-4632	200	lbs
Elongation @ Break	ASTM D-4632	15%
Mullen Burst	ASTM D-3786	400	psi
Puncture Strength	ASTM D-4833	100	lbs
Trapezoidal Tear	ASTM D-4533	70 × 75	lbs
Apparent Opening Size	ASTM D-4751	40	US Sieve
Permittivity	ASTM D-4491	0.07	Sec−1
Permeability	ASTM D-4491	0.004	cm/sec
Water Flow Rate	ASTM D-4491	6	g/min/sf
UV Resistance @ 150 Hours	ASTM D-4655	70%

In other embodiments, the apron is made of another geotextile or other sheet material having the prescribed high strength and balanced permeability. Such other materials can include plastics, metals, composites, etc.

In addition, the apron 12 is sized to provide the desired vegetation-free zone around the pole 8. In typical embodiments, the apron 12 has an outer dimension 16 at its outer edge that defines the laterally outward extent of the vegetation-free zone and an inner dimension 18 at its inner edge that defines an internal opening 20 for receiving the pole 8. In typical embodiments, the pole 8 is cylindrical and the apron 12 has an annular shape with an inner diameter 18 forming a central opening 20 and with an outer diameter 16 forming a circular vegetation-free zone. In other embodiments, the apron can have another shape (including rectangular, polygonal, or another regular or irregular shape) as may be desired for a particular application.

Typically, the annular apron 12 has an outer diameter/edge 16 selected based on the particular application, specifically, to provide a vegetation-free buffer zone of a large-enough size for the type of vegetation/fuel present in that area (taller vegetation needs to be kept farther away from the pole 8 so that it does not grow laterally against and/or get blown against the pole 8). For example, in one embodiment the annular apron 12 has an outer diameter 16 of about 4 feet for use in areas with relatively short grasses (e.g., under about 10 inches in height), in another embodiment the annular apron 12 has an outer diameter 16 of about 8 feet for use in areas with relatively tall grasses (e.g., about 12 inches to about 48 inches in height) and/or relatively low bushes (e.g., about 12 inches to about 96 inches in height), and in yet another embodiment the annular apron 12 has an outer diameter 16 of about 10 feet for use in areas with relatively tall bushes (e.g., about 60 inches or more in height, such as manzanita, bottle brush, and/or scotch broom). In another embodiment, the annular apron 12 has an outer diameter 16 of about 20 feet for use at non-exempt locations (e.g., for poles supporting lightening arrestors, fuses, solid-blade disconnect switches, and/or other pole-mounted electrical equipment) not just insulators, where some jurisdictions require a minimum 15-foot radius area treated with herbicide or cleared down to dirt at all times. As such, the apron 12 typically has an outer diameter/edge 16 of anywhere in the range of about 4 feet to about 20 feet, though in other embodiments it can be larger or smaller.

In addition, the annular apron 12 has an inner edge/diameter 18 selected based on the lateral size/dimension (e.g., diameter) of the pole 8 to be protected. In particular, the inner edge diameter 18 is selected so that the central opening 20 provides a snug fit against the pole 8 so that there's insufficient space between the apron 12 and the pole 8 for vegetation to grow through. As such, the inner diameter 18 of the apron 12 generally conforms to the outer diameter 7 of the butt of the pole 8, with the apron inner diameter thus typically being about the same as, or nominally smaller than, the outer diameter 7 of the pole 8. For example, in one embodiment the annular apron 12 has an inner diameter 18 of about 12 inches for use with a pole 8 having an outer diameter of about 12 inches, in another embodiment the annular apron 12 has an inner diameter 18 of about 16 inches for use with a pole 8 having an outer diameter of about 16 inches, and in yet another embodiment the annular apron 12 has an inner diameter 18 of about 20 inches for use with a pole 8 having an outer diameter of about 20 inches.

The apron 12 can be preformed and provided in several different sizes for the various applications, for example including the diameters indicated above. In some embodiments, the apron 12 is provided with an outer diameter 16 for forming one of the larger vegetation-free zones and with an inner diameter 18 for use with one of the smaller sizes of poles 8, and then during installation the apron 12 can be field cut to enlarge the inner diameter 18 for use with a pole 8 having a larger outer diameter 7. For such embodiments, the apron 12 material is selected with a thickness, weight, and/or strength that is not so great that the apron 12 cannot be field-fitted using conventional hand-held cutting tools.

Furthermore, in typical embodiments the apron 12 includes a slit 22 extending radially all the way through the apron from the outer diameter 18 to the inner diameter 16. The radial slit 22 enables the free ends 24 (formed by the slit) to be displaced relative to each other so that the opening 20 can be “opened” to place the apron 12 around the pole 8 and then “closed” to form the continuously extending peripheral configuration for use. Fasteners 26 can be provided for securing the free ends 24 in place (e.g., to the ground and/or to each other) after the apron 12 has been configured for use (i.e., positioned around the pole 8 with the opening 20 closed). In example embodiments, the fasteners 26 are provided by U-shaped staples made of steel or another metal and for securing into the ground 6. In other embodiments, other fasteners are used (e.g., anchors or stakes). And in some other embodiments, the apron is provided without the slit and is for use in new pole installation only (the apron is set down in position around a pole hole before the pole is erected) and/or a radial slit is field-cut if used for retrofit installation on an existing pole (including poles installed recently and those installed long ago).

Turning now to the cover 14, it protects the apron 14 from UV degradation and fire damage. As such, the cover 14 is selected so that it completely covers the apron 12 such that the apron 12 is substantially (if not completely) shielded from exposure to sunlight (and thus substantially concealed from view) so that it does not degrade and thereafter allow vegetation to grow through it. Also, the cover 14 is selected so that it insulates the underlying apron 12 from heat during a fire sufficiently that the apron 12 does not degrade and thereafter allow vegetation to grow through it. Because the cover 14 completely covers the apron 12, it extends peripherally and continuously all the way around the pole 8, and as such it has an internal (e.g., central) opening as well.

In some embodiments, the cover 14 can be further selected as a ballast to assist in holding the apron 14 in place (e.g., so that the apron's outer/free edges do not get upturned and allow vegetation undergrowth), while in other embodiments the apron is secured in place (e.g., to the ground) by conventional fasteners (e.g., staples, anchors, stakes, or clips) and the cover need not function to help secure the apron in place but merely to protect it. And in some embodiments, the cover 14 can be further selected to form a stable platform upon which workers can walk and stand.

As noted above, in the depicted embodiment, the cover 14 is a layer of rock material forming a rock bed. The rock-bed cover 14 can be provided by for example about ½-inch to about 2-inch rock, typically about ¾-inch to about 1%-inch rock, and preferably about ¾-inch to about 1-inch rock (this size tends to compact and lock together well). And the rock is stacked about 2 inches to about 8 inches in height (the rock-bed thickness), typically about 2 inches to about 3 inches (this thickness sufficiently covers the apron 12 and avoids unnecessary digging out of rock for sub-surface pole inspections). The resulting rock bed cover 14 provides a thickness for sufficient heat-insulation to minimize heat damage to the apron 12 from surrounding fires, provides a shield from UV sunlight damaging the apron 12, and provides a sufficiently heavy ballast to hold the apron 12 in place. Typically, the rock is crushed and then washed so that it contains no fines and is free of seeds, and is from a quarry that is free of native material such as seeds. Such rock is commercially available in for example 9 cu ft bags.

In other embodiments, smaller or larger rock is used to form a rock bed of larger or smaller height/thickness, for example pea rock, D-Ballast, gravel, flat stones, crushed concrete, or composites can be used. In other embodiments, the rock bed can be made of other types of rock material such a bricks, concrete blocks, or cinder blocks. And in still other embodiments, other types of cover can be used such as asphalt paving or poured-in-place concrete. Generally, the cover can be provided by any material meeting the UV and fire protecting functions and typically also assisting in the securing function, but that does not support vegetation growth. As such, dirt and other vegetation-supporting materials are typically not used as or mixed into the cover material.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-8, a method of protecting poles 8 from fire damage will now be described. The protection method is described herein with respect to the pole protector 10, but other pole-protection systems can be used in other embodiments of the pole-protection method.

FIG. 4 shows a pole 8 in an area with vegetation 2 that is susceptible to catching fire and thus in need of the protection from fire-related damage. FIG. 5 shows a site-preparation step of the method, with a selected area surrounding the pole cleared of vegetation 2 to form a vegetation-free buffer zone around the pole. The size of the cleared area is selected as described above with respect to selection of the apron size, and to accommodate the apron is sized larger than the apron. In addition to removing existing vegetation 2, the site-preparation step can also include minor grading of the cleared ground 6 forming the vegetation-free buffer zone, removing any boulders or large rocks present, etc. In some embodiments, the apron is selected with sufficient strength and anti-puncture properties and/or the vegetation adjacent the pole is sufficiently minimal that the vegetation is not removed in this preliminary step.

FIGS. 6-7 show an apron-installation step of the method. In particular, FIG. 6 shows the apron 12 being laid out on the cleared ground 6, with its radial free ends 24 (formed by the radial slit 22) moved apart to open its central opening 20, with the apron 12 being positioned on the ground 6 around the pole 8 (with the apron central opening 20 receiving the pole 8), and with the apron 12 being installed tight to the ground 6 and tight around the pole 8 (a small gap is shown between the apron and the pole for illustration purposes only and is not typically present in the field). And FIG. 7 shows the apron free ends 24 laid flat in their final/use position and the fasteners (e.g., staples) 26 securing the radial free ends 24 in place. In installation on sloping ground 6, the apron 12 is typically installed with the radial slit 22 positioned on the downhill side of the pole 8 so that, on the off chance the cover 14 fails and exposes the apron 12, the slit 22 and staples 26 are not exposed to downhill running rainwater (which forces might unsecure the radial free ends 24) and not exposed to the vegetative matter the rainwater might carry.

Finally, FIG. 8 shows a cover-installation step of the method. In particular, the cover 14 is shown installed over and protecting the apron 12, as noted above. While crushed and washed rock forming a rock bed cover 14 is used in this example, other cover materials can be used.

In applications in areas where permitted, a herbicide can be applied, for example on top of the cleared ground 6, on top of the apron 12, and/or on top of the cover 14. For example, a slow-release granular pre-emergent herbicide can be used.

The pole protector 10 thereby provides a strong barrier against vegetation growth that eliminates (or at least substantially limits/controls) vegetation growth around wood poles 8, effectively providing a defensible vegetation-free buffer zone for the pole. Eliminating the “fuel” near the pole 8 drastically reduces the likelihood of the pole 8 catching fire. And the pole protector 10 is effective over long periods of time, so it keeps vegetation away from the poles 8 with minimal or no routine maintenance. The result is a significant decrease in pole-line losses from wildfire and in pole-line vegetation-removal maintenance. In addition, because the pole protector 10 keeps the area around the poles 8 clean, it also results in improved access for maintenance and inspection. Accordingly, the pole protector 10 can be advantageously used in applications including newly built hardened utility lines in rural tier ⅔ areas, wood pole lines along critical evacuation routes, or just an everyday pole line running through a grassy field that burns often.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions, or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only. Thus, the terminology is intended to be broadly construed and is not intended to be unnecessarily limiting of the claimed invention. For example, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “one” include the plural, the term “or” means “and/or,” and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, any methods described herein are not intended to be limited to the sequence of steps described but can be carried out in other sequences, unless expressly stated otherwise herein.

While the invention has been shown and described in example forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A system for protecting a pole from fire damage, the system comprising:

a peripheral apron with an internal opening, wherein the apron is installed continuously surrounding the pole with the internal opening receiving the pole therethrough and with the apron defining a vegetation-free buffer zone, wherein the apron is made of a material with a strength and permeability selected to resist vegetation growth through it; and

a peripheral cover that covers the apron and is made of a material that protects the apron from UV and fire damage, wherein the cover is installed continuously surrounding the pole.

2. The pole-protection system of claim 1, wherein the apron is made of a geotextile fabric.

3. The pole-protection system of claim 2, wherein the geotextile fabric is a woven geotextile fabric.

4. The pole-protection system of claim 3, wherein the woven geotextile fabric is a sheet of 200 oz woven stabilization geotextile fabric.

5. The pole-protection system of claim 1, wherein the apron has an inner dimension selected to conform to an outer dimension of the pole to provide a snug fit of the apron against the pole.

6. The pole-protection system of claim 1, wherein the apron has an outer dimension selected to define a sufficiently large size of the vegetation-free buffer zone based on local vegetation.

7. The pole-protection system of claim 6, wherein the outer dimension is relatively larger for an application in which local vegetation is relatively taller and the outer dimension is relatively smaller for an application in which local vegetation is relatively shorter.

8. The pole-protection system of claim 6, wherein the outer dimension is in the range of about 4 feet to about 20 feet.

9. The pole-protection system of claim 1, wherein the apron has two adjacent radially extending free ends defining a radial slit, wherein the apron free ends can be displaced from adjacent each other in order to position the apron around the pole with the pole received in the internal opening, and wherein the apron free ends can be returned to adjacent each other in a use position with the apron continuously surrounding the pole.

10. The pole-protection system of claim 9, further comprising fasteners that are installed to secure the radial free ends of the apron in place in the use position.

11. The pole-protection system of claim 1, wherein the cover is made of a layer of rock material forming a rock bed.

12. The pole-protection system of claim 11, wherein the rock material is washed rock.

13. The pole-protection system of claim 12, wherein the washed rock is about ¾ inch to about 1 inch in size.

14. The pole-protection system of claim 11, wherein the rock bed is about 2 inches to about 3 inches in thickness.

15. A pole-protection method using the pole-protection system of claim 1, comprising:

clearing existing vegetation from around the pole to reveal vegetation-free ground of a size larger than the apron;

positioning the apron on the cleared ground and around the pole to resist vegetation growth in the vegetation-free zone; and

installing the cover on top of the apron to protect the apron from UV and fire damage.

16. A system for protecting a utility pole from fire damage, the system comprising:

a peripheral apron with a central opening, wherein the apron is installed continuously surrounding the pole with the central opening receiving the pole therethrough and with the apron defining a vegetation-free buffer zone, wherein the apron is made of a woven geotextile fabric with a strength and permeability selected to resist vegetation growth through it, wherein the apron has an inner diameter selected to conform to an outer diameter of the pole to provide a snug fit of the apron against the pole, wherein the apron has an outer diameter selected to define a sufficiently large size of the vegetation-free buffer zone based on local vegetation, wherein the outer diameter is larger than about 4 feet, wherein the apron has two adjacent radially extending free ends defining a radial slit, wherein the radial free ends can be displaced from adjacent each other in order to position the apron around the pole with the pole received in the internal opening, wherein the apron free ends can be returned to adjacent each other in a use position with the apron continuously surrounding the pole, and further comprising fasteners that are installed to secure the radial free ends of the apron in place in the use position; and

a peripheral cover that covers the apron and is made of a layer of rock material forming a rock bed that protects the apron from UV and fire damage, wherein the cover is installed continuously surrounding the pole.

17. The pole-protection system of claim 16, wherein the woven geotextile fabric is a sheet of 200 oz woven stabilization geotextile fabric, wherein the rock material is washed rock about ¾ inch to about 1 inch in size, and wherein the rock bed is about 2 inches to about 3 inches in thickness.

18. A method of protecting a utility pole from fire damage, the method comprising:

clearing existing vegetation from around the pole to reveal vegetation-free ground of a size larger than a desired vegetation-free zone;

positioning a peripheral apron on the cleared ground and around the pole to resist vegetation growth in the vegetation-free zone, wherein the apron has a central opening sized to fit snugly against the pole, wherein the apron has an outer diameter that is larger than about 4 feet and defining the vegetation-free zone, and wherein the apron is made of a woven geotextile fabric with a strength and permeability selected to resist vegetation growth through it; and

installing a peripheral cover on top of the apron to protect the apron from UV and fire damage, wherein the cover is made of a layer of rock material forming a rock bed that protects the apron from UV and fire damage, wherein the cover is installed continuously surrounding the pole.

19. The pole-protection method of claim 18, wherein the apron has two radially extending free ends defining a radial slit, and wherein the apron-positioning step includes:

displacing the radial free ends from adjacent each other in order to position the apron around the pole with the pole in the internal opening;

returning the apron free ends to adjacent each other in a use position with the apron continuously surrounding the pole; and

installing fasteners that secure the radial free ends of the apron in place in the use position.

20. The pole-protection method of claim 19, wherein the apron-positioning step includes positioning the radial slit on a downhill side of the pole.