The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

Leadership Change and the Future of Utility Vegetation Management Show Notes This episode features an engaging discussion with Ron Adams and Shawn Standish. Stephen Cieslewicz and Nick Ferguson explore leadership, strategic planning, the evolution of Utility Vegetation Management, the lasting impact of the 2003 Northeast Blackout, the implementation of NERC FAC-003, organizational change, wildfire...

Episode 1: Grid Resilience & Safety — Caroline Thomas Jacobs, California Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety This is the first of a six-part series recorded live at the Grid Resilience Summit, a half-day industry event organised by LiveEO. Hosts Nick Ferguson and Steve Cieslewicz hand over to moderator Patrick Hollenbeck for a keynote and Q&A with Caroline Thomas Jacobs, Director of Cal...

In this episode of The UVM Podcast, hosts Nick Ferguson and Stephen Cieslewicz are joined by Jim Kubrak , Senior Technical Advisor at The North American Electric Reliability Corporation ( NERC ) and a key author of the newly released draft report, Reducing the Risk of Wildfire Ignition by the Bulk Power System. Together, they explore how wildfire risk is rapidly evolving from a regional concern in...

In this episode of The UVM Podcast, hosts Stephen R. Cieslewicz and Nick Ferguson, sit down with Sara Sankowich (Vice President Shared Services and Sustainability - Unitil ) and Randy Miller (Director of Research and Development- Eocene) from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point to discuss the Professional Utility Vegetation Management (Pro-UVM) Program and what it means for the future of our...

In this episode of The UVM Podcast , hosts Steve Cieslewicz and Nick Ferguson sit down with Matt Allen of Portland General Electric (PGE) to unpack what it really looks like to transition from private arboriculture into utility vegetation management. After spending 27 years in the private tree care industry, Matt made the leap into the utility world. Now three years in, Matt reflects on the early...

In this episode of The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast , hosts Stephen Cieslewicz and Nick Ferguson speak with Andy Abranches , VP of Wildfire Mitigation at PG&E , about how wildfire risk has fundamentally changed. Andy discusses climate and non-climate drivers of extreme wildfire, the evolving role of vegetation management, data-driven mitigation, and the realities of Public Safety Powe...

In this episode of The UVM podcast, hosts Steve Cieslewicz and Nick Ferguson welcome Dennis Fallon, Executive Director of The Utility Arborist Association (UAA) to discuss the organization's strategic plans and evolution. Dennis shares the UAA's ambitious vision for the next 5 years, maintaining its historic role of supporting arborists while evolving to become the voice of the Right-of-...

Wildfire Mitigation and the Future of Utility Management with Ryan Korpela In this episode of The UVM Podcast, hosts Nick Ferguson and Steve Cieslewicz hold an in-depth conversation on one of the most pressing issues facing utilities today — wildfire mitigation. Their guest, Ryan Korpela, President at Celerity Utilities and Clear Path Utility Solutions, joins to discuss how his teams are helping u...

Co‑hosts Nick Ferguson and Steve Cieslewicz sit down with Chris Vetromile , Wildfire Mitigation Manager at Austin Energy , to unpack how a municipal utility in Central Texas is building a modern wildfire program. Chris traces his career path from California to Texas, then walks through the region’s often‑overlooked wildfire risks and how they differ from the West Coast model. The conversation expl...

In this episode of The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast , hosts Nick Ferguson and Stephen Cieslewicz sit down with Floyd Hardin of Salt River Project (SRP) to explore how one of the nation’s largest public power utilities is navigating wildfire risk in the unique landscapes of the desert Southwest. Floyd shares how SRP is learning from the wildfire experiences of states like California and Or...

In this episode of The UVM Podcast, Steve and Nick explore the complex intersection of Utility Vegetation Management and the insurance industry with a focus on insurance for UVM Service Providers. With increasing risks from wildfires, storms, and climate change, insurers are re-evaluating their coverage models for utilities. The episode addresses how proactive vegetation management can impact insu...

In this episode, Nick interviews Steve, to discuss his 2025 UVM report calling for a transformation in how utilities manage vegetation near power infrastructure. With over four decades of experience shaping industry standards and investigating some of the most significant failures in North American grid reliability—including the 2003 Northeast Blackout—Cieslewicz outlines why traditional, reactive...

In this episode, Nick and Steve are joined by Ben Silverman. Ben is a Program Director at E-Source, who is one of the founding members of the International Wildfire Risk Mitigation Consortium (IWRMC). They begin by discussing the mission of the IWRMC and the history behind its creation. Ben shares the structure they have established to ensure that their monthly conversations are collaborative and...

In this episode of the UVM Podcast, hosts Nick and Steve sit down with Dennis Fallon, Executive Director of the Utility Arborist Association (UAA), to discuss the highly anticipated Trees & Utilities Conference. This year’s event will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, from September 10th to September 12th, and it’s shaping up to be one of the largest gatherings yet. Dennis shares his excitement ab...

In this episode, Steve is joined by a very special, and tough, guest co-host in Nick’s absence. The episode kicks off with Steve’s co-host sharing an update on all of the amazing work they have been doing since they last spoke. Once Steve and his co-host are caught up, they are joined by Professor Lawrence J.  Kahn. Larry is an adjunct professor at Tulane University and Co-founder of the Utility V...

In today’s episode of The UVM Podcast, hosts Nick and Steve are joined by industry thought leader Eric Brown, Manager of Grid Assets for Electric T&D Vegetation Management at Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). Eric shares the serendipitous story of how he was first introduced to a career in the UVM field—right in a parking lot! Reflecting on his time at PG&E in various roles, Er...

In this episode, Nick and Steve have the privilege of hosting Tim Walsh, a key member of the UVM industry with decades of  experience and a passionate advocate for safety. Tim, a former president of the UAA and current VP of Health and Safety at Davey Tree Company, kicks off the conversation by shedding light on the various committees available for UAA members to join and actively engage with the...

In an engaging podcast episode, Nick and Steve are joined by Jeremy Hayward, a member of the Redding Rancheria nation and President of the Redding Rancheria Economic Development Corporation (REDDCO). Jeremy also represents and speaks about the Native American owned UVM company, Essential Vegetation Management Services (EVMS). Jeremy delves into the rich tapestry of Traditional Ecological Knowledge...

Part 2 In this episode of The UVM Podcast, hosts Steve and Nick are joined by guest Madelyn Anderson, Senior Policy Officer of the Powerline Bushfire Safety Program at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action in Victoria, Australia. The conversation covers a range of topics related to UVM, risk reduction, and powerline-related wildfires in the State of Victoria. Madelyn introduces...

In this episode of The UVM Podcast, hosts Steve and Nick are joined by guest Madelyn Anderson, Senior Policy Officer of the Powerline Bushfire Safety Program at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action in Victoria, Australia. The conversation covers a range of topics related to UVM, risk reduction, and powerline-related wildfires in the State of Victoria. Madelyn introduces herself...

In this podcast interview, Nick and Steve, hosts of The UVM Podcast, interview Dan Gent, Director of Transmission and Reliability at Electricity Canada, a national forum and voice of the evolving and innovative electricity business in Canada. Dan explains his background and role at Electricity Canada, working within a trade association to represent its members to broader stakeholder groups such as...

In the aftermath of the 2003 tree related blackouts, North America and Europe responded differently to the issue of regulating their electricity grids. North America adopted a highly regulated approach with clear standards and enforcement mechanisms, resulting in fewer large-scale blackouts. Meanwhile, Europe struggled with a lack of centralized regulation and cross-border enforcement mechanisms,...

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) is revolutionizing the way we manage vegetation around power lines, and the benefits are nothing short of impressive. AI is capable of processing and analyzing vast amounts of data collected from advanced remote sensing technologies like drones, LiDAR, and satellites. This analysis helps to identify potential...

In this episode we discuss the “the demarcation issue” with Larry Kahn, the Distinguished Research Fellow at Tulane Law School’s UVMI. This is the second episode, in a planned series of discussions with Larry, where we hope to raise issues worthy of consideration and debate in the UVM industry.  During this episode Larry, Steve and Nick explain and discuss the demarcation issue and present ideas t...

What is the cradle to grave asset lifecycle, and how do different forms of remote sensing come into play? Is satellite the ‘silver bullet’ of the remote sensing world that will entirely replace LiDAR or is the picture more nuanced than that?  Steve and Nick are joined by Subject Matter Experts from LiveEO (Tony Palizzi), NV5 Geospatial (Jacob Hall) and Planet (Paulina Zubatov) to unpack the asset...