** 0.5 CEU credits from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) are available to Utility Arborist Association members. Complete the questionnaire on the UAA website here. **

The Utility Arborist Association (UAA) – Decades of Support for the UVM Industry

 For almost a half century, the Utility Arborist Association has worked towards its stated mission that  “We will drive excellence, innovation, and improvement in utility vegetation management through professional development, outreach, research, and the use of best practices.” With over 5,000 members worldwide the UAA has been an important and impactful voice in the industry and has had a significant role in raising the awareness of UVM. After a decade of leadership under the direction of Executive Director Dr. Phil Charlton, Phil has recently handed the reins to Dennis Fallon. 

In this interview, Steve and Nick speak to both the incoming and outgoing Executive Directors of the UAA and discuss a myriad of historical and contemporary issues including:

• Background and history
• The important work of the UAA
• UVM educational opportunities
• The work of Consulting Utility Foresters (CUF)
• Who are the members of the UAA and what are the benefits of membership
• The industry loss of Nelsen Money and Will Nutter
• Dr. Phil Charlton’s reflections on his career and work at the UAA
• Dennis Fallon’s vision for the future of the UAA

For members of the UAA, this episode will provide a reminder how important the UAA has been and will be in the future. For non-members, it’s time to join right here: https://member.gotouaa.org/page/UAAMembership   

** 1 CEU credit from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) available to Utility Arborist Association members. Complete the questionnaire on the UAA website here. **

For decades, the UVM industry has been supported by several organizations known to us all. A short list of those groups includes the UAA, ISA, EEI, Arbor Day, CEATI and EPRI. In this podcast, we speak to a new academically-centered organization, housed at Tulane University Law School, that is also focused on UVM related issues. Going forward in time, Tulane’s Utility Vegetation Management Initiative (UVMI) will have a pivotal role in shaping the myriad issues related to our work.

On this episode, our guest is Lawrence Kahn, Visiting Research Fellow at Tulane Law School's Center for Environmental Law. Larry is heading up the Tulane UVMI and we discuss many of the Tulane initiatives directly involving UVM. In this provocative discussion, Larry will cover multiple issues. For example:

•  Tulane’s work with Arbor Day Foundation to develop a model “Right Tree - Right Place” tree ordinance
• Why UVM is an important issue for everyone
• Social justice and environmental issues related to UVM
• Tulane’s multi-national UVM law and regulation survey
• Other issues scheduled to be addressed by Tulane’s UVMI

We guarantee you will find the topics interesting, possibly controversial, and definitely thought provoking.

** 0.5 CEU credit from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) available to Utility Arborist Association members. Complete the questionnaire on the UAA website here. **

The new California Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety – an interview with Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs

The increasing prevalence of devastating wildland fires in California has resulted in the creation of a new utility oversight agency that has had significant impacts on how UVM is performed in the state. This new and powerful agency is focused on preventing fires related to energy related infrastructure (Energy Safety) and UVM is an important part of this effort. In this interview, Steve and Nick speak to the new Director of Energy Safety, Caroline Thomas Jacobs, and covers the following topics:

 Background and history of the organization

• Tree and powerline related fires
• Various state and utility efforts to mitigate and prevent electric utility related fires
• The reporting requirements and Wildfires Mitigation Plans for utilities
• New Tech being utilized by utilities and the state
• The work of the new Energy Safety organization

This episode will provide an insight into a unique and new oversight organization that may be replicated in other regions in North America. The work of Energy Safety has already had significant impact on how utilities perform vegetation work in the state and has expanded the scope and responsibilities of UVM professionals.    

An introduction to The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast. This pilot episode describes the three principal reasons we do this work:

1. The first reason we manage trees near power lines has to do with preventing outages. In most places across North America, tree and powerline conflicts are the single largest cause of power outages on distribution systems. Trees, either growing into, or more often than not,  falling into power lines are the main reason why our lights go out. 
2. The second reason for UVM has to do with fire mitigation. For those of you in fire prone states and provinces, tree and powerline conflicts have been a significant cause of devastating electric utility related wildfires in recent years, particularly out here in California. To illustrate that point, a staggering 65% of the total hectares, or acres,  burned in California in 2019 were found to be caused by electric facilities.
3. UVM is also focused on public and worker safety.  When trees grow too close to overhead energized lines there is a risk that someone can get hurt. This type of exposure turns out to be one the largest causes of accidents and fatalities in the green industry

Our intent is to provide a forum for people involved in this industry to learn about issues that will have an effect on preventing tree and power line conflicts. We want to bring you informative interviews with industry professionals and also discuss topics of interest to anyone involved with this industry. We’ll be interviewing utilities, regulators, policy makers, tree contractors and technologists.