The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

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The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

Steve Cieslewicz and Nick Ferguson

35 episodes

1 month ago

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 explores Austin Energy’s preparation for potential state requirements around utility wildfire mitigatio...

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Natural Sciences

All content for The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast is the property of Steve Cieslewicz and Nick Ferguson and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

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 explores Austin Energy’s preparation for potential state requirements around utility wildfire mitigatio...

Show more...

Natural Sciences

Episodes (20/35)

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

30 | Ben Silverman, International Wildfire Risk Mitigation Consortium (IWRMC)

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 productive while navigating complex regulatory requirements. After sharing an overview of the fou...

3 months ago

28 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

29 | Dennis Fallon, Utility Arborist Association, Brian Eubanks, PG&E/ Saluting Branches

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 about the record-breaking attendance expected this year and expresses his gratitude for the hard wo...

7 months ago

35 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

28 | Utility Vegetation Management Institute, Larry Kahn, Tulane University Law School

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 Vegetation Management Institute (UVMI). This is the fourth episode, in a planned series of di...

11 months ago

37 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

27 | Eric Brown, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)

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, Eric highlights the invaluable insights he gained from colleagues, peers, and consultants. Eventual...

1 year ago

1 hour 4 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

26 | Tim Walsh, The Davey Tree Expert Company

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 organization.Highlighting Trees and Utilities as the premier event in the UVM industry, Tim ...

1 year ago

54 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

25 | Jeremy Hayward, Redding Rancheria, Native American Tribe **CEUs available**

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 (TEK), a treasure trove of indigenous communities' wisdom, practices, and beliefs that revolves a...

1 year ago

49 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

24 | Madelyn Anderson, Powerline Bushfire Safety Program, Victoria, Australia (part 2) **CEUs available**

Part 2In 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 and discusses her involvement with policy design after significant bushfire events in Austr...

1 year ago

26 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

23 | Madelyn Anderson, Powerline Bushfire Safety Program, Victoria, Australia (part 1) **CEUs Available**

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 and discusses her involvement with policy design after significant bushfire events in Australia. ...

1 year ago

47 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

22 | Electricity Canada, Dan Gent **CEUs Available**

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 the federal government and other regulatory organizations. He discusses the importance of transm...

1 year ago

43 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

21 | US vs. Europe: Response to the 2003 Blackouts, Lex Kumar

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, leading to disparities in UVM programs, but greater flexibility in adopting new, greener technolo...

2 years ago

42 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

20 | Artificial Intelligence and Utility Vegetation Management **CEUs Available**

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 vegetation risks and prioritize areas that require immediate attention, allowing utility companie...

2 years ago

35 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

19 | Demarcation, Larry Kahn, Tulane University Law School **CEUs Available**

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 to reduce outages, fires and accidents. As with the Rule of 70 episode, this is an important t...

2 years ago

23 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

18 | The Cradle Grave Asset Lifecycle (LiveEO, NV5 Geospatial, Planet)

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 life cycle and examine, through a remote sensing lens, how geospatial technology can support ...

2 years ago

1 hour 5 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

17 | The Rule of 70, Larry Kahn, Visiting Research Fellow, Tulane University Law School

In this episode we discuss the “Rule of 70” with Larry Kahn, the Distinguished Research Fellow at Tulane Law School’s UVMI. This is the first 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 what the Rule of 70s is and why it may be one of the most important metrics a Utility Arborist needs to track. We hope that you find this episode of The ...

2 years ago

24 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

16 | Integrated Vegetation Management & ROW Stewardship, Lewis Payne, Manager ROW/ Environmental, New York Power Authority (NYPA) **CEUs Available**

In this episode (and at the suggestion of one of our subscribers- thanks Eric Owens at CNUC!) we interview Lewis Payne from the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the largest state-owned utility in the United States. Lewis (Lew) Payne is the Manager ROW/Environmental and a well-respected 30+ year veteran in the Transmission UVM industry. During this thoughtful discussion, Lew discusses his work on a variety of topics ranging from pollinator habitat and IVM, to the way the transmission indu...

2 years ago

47 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

15 | Eliecer Viamontes, President and CEO, Entergy Texas

In this episode we interview Eliecer Viamontes, the recently appointed President and CEO of Entergy Texas. Entergy serves about 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and they are no strangers to Utility Vegetation Management or the implications of tree and power line conflicts. During this inspiring discussion Eliecer not only outlines current priorities and accomplishments of Entergy Texas, he talks about his own background and experiences in running ...

2 years ago

33 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

14 | Steve Martin, Powerlink Queensland

In this episode we interview Steve Martin from Powerlink Queensland. Steve is the Senior Strategist for Land, Research and Development for Powerlink and works out of the greater Brisbane area of Australia. During this lively down-under discussion, Steve and the podcast hosts discuss a wide array of issues ranging from animal grazing on transmission ROWs to managing our UVM workloads as an asset - not a liability. It is also another episode where “the tyranny of distance” plays a role in...

2 years ago

32 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

13 | Hydro One, Teri French, VP Forestry Services and Patrick Howe, Vegetation Management Front Line Manager

In this episode we interview Teri French, Vice President, Forestry Services, and Patrick Howe, Vegetation Management Front Line Manager at Hydro One. In this thoughtful discussion, Teri and Patrick talk about running an in-house UVM program in Canada’s most populous province, Ontario. Hydro One is a utility that is committed to operating safely in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. During this discussion we cover several topics including:Hydro One’s unique and comprehens...

2 years ago

18 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

12 | Matt Palmer, Ergon Energy Network and Energex, part of the Energy Queensland group

In this episode we interview Matt Palmer, Vegetation Specialist - Standards, at Ergon Energy Network and Energex, part of the Energy Queensland group. Ergon Energy Network and Energex are distribution service providers that together deliver approximately 35,000 GWh of electricity right across Queensland to around 2.3 million customers. The network consists of more than 178,000 km of overhead powerlines and 29,000 km of underground power cables. During this discussion we cover sever...

3 years ago

23 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

11 | Richard Hauer, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point **CEUs Available**

** 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. **In this episode we interview Professor Richard Hauer from the College of Natural Resources at The University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point (UWSP). An academic institution known by many of our listeners, UWSP continues to be a source of education and research to the UVM industry. During this thoughtful discu...

3 years ago

27 minutes

The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

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 explores Austin Energy’s preparation for potential state requirements around utility wildfire mitigatio...