The Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

Steve Cieslewicz and Nick Ferguson
  • 4.7 (15)
  • Natural Sciences

Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) is a rapidly growing multi-billion dollar a year industry employing tens of thousands of people. UVM is the largest operational expense in most electric utilities and frequently the largest driver of system reliability and outage management. In recent years, climate change, wildfires, storms and Public Safety Power Shutoffs have brought the industry into mainstream news. Several groups including government, regulators, utilities, contractors, industry and the public are now active stakeholders and contribute to the public debate. Despite high levels of concern and interest in the subject matter, communications on the topic have been restricted to traditional media outlets. The UVM Podcast is the first of its kind. It aims to directly insert itself in the public conversation as a 21st Century medium to discuss and address the challenges that face us all. The podcast is hosted by Stephen Cieslewicz, an internationally recognized expert in UVM, and Nick Ferguson, a Tech Sector leader specializing in Utility Vegetation Management.

  1. Jul 1

    42 | Leadership, Change and the Future of Utility Vegetation Management

    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 mitigation, and practical advice for both utilities and technology providers seeking to engage with utilities. The conversation combines decades of industry experience with practical lessons that can be applied by utility leaders, field personnel, consultants, regulators, and vendors. About the Guests Ron Adams spent his career with Duke Energy, one of the largest investor owned electric utilities in North America, serving millions of electric customers across six states with one of the nation's largest transmission and distribution systems. During his tenure he held numerous leadership positions, including responsibility for all Transmission and Distribution Utility Vegetation Management activities. Ron has been a respected leader in advancing utility reliability, strategic Utility Vegetation Management, organizational leadership, and operational excellence. Throughout the industry he is recognized for his thoughtful approach to leadership, change management, and building high performing organizations. While only partially retired, Ron is currently consulting with utilities and service providers. Shawn Standish built a similarly distinguished career with FirstEnergy, one of the nation's largest investor owned electric utilities, serving more than six million customers across the Midwest and Mid Atlantic regions. During his career he led major Utility Vegetation Management initiatives across a large and diverse electric system while helping improve system reliability, operational performance, and risk management. Today, as a consultant, Shawn continues to work with utilities across North America, combining practical field experience with strategic leadership to help organizations strengthen their vegetation management programs and adapt to an evolving industry. Together, Ron and Shawn represent more than seventy years of combined Utility Vegetation Management leadership, having managed programs serving millions of customers and overseeing vegetation management across tens of thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines. Their perspectives come from decades of making real world decisions at two of the largest electric utilities in the United States. Topics Discussed Leadership and mentorshipBuilding an effective Utility Vegetation Management strategyLessons learned from the 2003 Northeast BlackoutThe impact of NERC FAC 003Organizational change and leadershipWildfire mitigationWorking effectively with technology providersThe future of Utility Vegetation Management Sponsors This episode of The UVM Podcast is made possible by our commercial sponsors: Celerity Utility Solutions Clear Path Utility Solutions LLC We appreciate their continued support of industry education and conversation.

  2. Jun 29

    41 | Grid Resilience Summit Ep. 1: Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs, Energy Safety

    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 California's Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety — known as Energy Safety. Caroline has appeared on the UVM Podcast before: she was the very first guest when the show launched. Her return here marks another milestone — this is the UVM Podcast's inaugural video episode after four years of audio-only production since 2021. About Energy Safety Energy Safety was created in 2020 in direct response to the catastrophic utility-caused wildfires of 2017 and 2018, which killed over 100 people and destroyed more than 25,000 structures. Its core mission: review and approve annual Wildfire Mitigation Plans submitted by California's electric utilities, oversee their implementation through audits and field inspections, and drive the cultural change inside utilities needed to truly integrate fire risk into how they build, operate, and maintain the grid. Crucially, Energy Safety was designed not to be a traditional penalty-based regulator. The focus is on continuous improvement and learning — holding utilities accountable to developing new capabilities, not just meeting minimum standards. What's working Five years in, the data is encouraging. Total ignitions in California's High Fire Threat Districts in 2024 were down 18% on the seven-year average, and down 34% compared to 2020. Utilities have invested billions in grid hardening — covered conductor, undergrounding, remote sensing devices — and have deployed satellite imagery, LIDAR, and AI-driven risk modelling to transform how they manage vegetation and assess asset condition. A mandatory performance metrics regime means utilities must now demonstrate that their mitigations are reducing risk, not just describe what they're doing. As Caroline puts it: utilities were never going to cut their way out of the wildfire problem. They had to innovate their way out. Landscape-scale coordination California's Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force — created by Governor Newsom in 2021 — is aligning federal, state, local, tribal, and private organisations around shared forest health goals. It has invested nearly $6 billion and now treats over 700,000 acres annually. Energy Safety leads the development of a Utility Wildfire Resilience Partnership Program, modelled on a successful collaboration between Liberty Utilities, the US Forest Service, and the Tahoe Conservancy in the Lake Tahoe basin, designed to amplify the impact of utility corridor investments through landscape-scale coordination. The challenge ahead The January 2025 LA fires are a sobering reminder that the wildfire threat is not receding — climate conditions once considered extreme are now the norm. Building California's clean energy future (targeting 100% clean electricity by 2045) on ageing, wildfire-prone infrastructure is not sustainable. Caroline is clear that urgency, equity, and cross-agency coordination are all essential — the communities facing the greatest wildfire risk are too often the ones with the least access to backup power and recovery resources. In the Q&A, Caroline addresses whether California's separated regulatory model can be replicated in other states (political will, not financing, is the key enabler), how the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force is structured to actually get things done, and the role of the Wildfire Safety Advisory Board in advising both Energy Safety and California's 50 publicly owned utilities. 🎙 Hosted by Nick Ferguson & Steve Cieslewicz  📍 Recorded at the LiveEO Grid Resilience Summit  📺 Part 1 of 6 Subscribe for the remaining five sessions — covering grid modernisation, storm resilience, wildfire technology, and more. Got a topic suggestion? Email us: podcast@utilityvegetationmanagement.com View this episode with video on YouTube https://youtu.be/rXjTjcAmNYYhttps://youtu.be/rXjTjcAmNYY. A big thanks to LiveEO (www.live-eo.com) for organizing the summit.

  3. Apr 1

    40 | NERC: Executive Order 14308, Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response

    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 into a continent-wide reliability issue for the electric grid. Jim shares insights into NERC’s growing focus on wildfire as a critical reliability threat, highlighting data that shows increasing outage impacts and significantly longer restoration times compared to other severe weather events. The conversation dives into what prompted the report, namely a FERC directive following a Presidential Executive Order, and why its findings could be as transformative as past regulatory milestones like FAC-003. A major focus of the discussion is how vegetation management must adapt. Key recommendations include expanding FAC-003 applicability down to 100 kV lines, increasing vegetation treatment frequency in high fire risk areas, and extending management practices beyond traditional rights-of-way. The episode also explores the role of advanced technologies. such as satellite data, LiDAR, AI, and weather modeling, in enabling more proactive, risk-based decision-making. Jim emphasizes the importance of collaboration, data standardization, and stakeholder engagement as the industry moves toward implementation. He also underscores the opportunity for utilities to align Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs) with Transmission Vegetation Management Programs (TVMPs) to create a more holistic approach to wildfire prevention. With a public comment period closing on March 27th 2026 and standards development on the horizon, this episode is a must-listen for utility professionals seeking to understand, and influence, the future of wildfire risk mitigation on the bulk power system. A big thank you to this episode’s sponsors, Jack McCabe, Ali Kulick, Darik Warnke, and the entire team at Davey Resource Group, Inc., without whose support this episode wouldn’t have been possible. The draft report from NERC can be found here. Materials from the NERC Workshop held in January 2026 can be found here.

  4. Mar 4

    39 | Pro-UVM with UW–Stevens Point

    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 industry. Sara and Randy explain how the program was created to bridge the gap between traditional forestry education and the realities of utility vegetation management — reliability pressure, wildfire risk, regulatory scrutiny, and public accountability. The conversation breaks down: • Foundations and Advanced Certificates • The Professional UVM Credential pathway • Course format, time commitment, grading, and CEU eligibility • Who the program is built for — utilities, contractors, consultants, and regulators • How the credential can strengthen hiring, advancement, and program credibility The episode also highlights recent efforts at UW–Stevens Point to further institutionalize UVM, including exploration of establishing a full-time faculty position dedicated specifically to leading and expanding Utility Vegetation Management efforts at the university — a clear signal that UVM is evolving into a recognized professional discipline. Steve and Nick push the larger question: What does it truly mean to professionalize UVM — and will structured education help move the industry from reactive cycle management toward risk-based, proactive strategies? Whether you are entering the field or leading a large vegetation program, this episode offers a practical look at how education and credentials may shape the next generation of UVM leadership. Sponsors This episode of The UVM Podcast is made possible by our commercial sponsors: Celerity Utility Solutions Clear Path Utility Solutions LLC We appreciate their continued support of industry education and conversation.

  5. Feb 18

    38 | Matt Allen, Portland General Electric

    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 culture shock, the steep learning curve, and the skills that translated surprisingly well from residential and commercial arboriculture into large-scale utility operations. The conversation explores the differences between private and utility “customers,” managing crews and contracts at scale, and how expectations shift when public safety, reliability, and regulation enter the picture. Matt also shares what helped him survive those first overwhelming years, what he’d tell someone considering the same career move, and how experienced utility professionals can better support newcomers coming from the private side. Beyond career transitions, the episode dives into bigger-picture topics like breaking down silos between contractors and utilities, how private arboriculture and utility forestry can learn from each other, and what’s currently happening inside PGE, including vegetation initiatives and wildfire mitigation efforts tied to Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs). Whether you’re thinking about making the jump into utility vegetation management, onboarding new talent from the private sector, or looking for ways to strengthen collaboration across the industry, this episode offers candid insights from someone who’s lived on both sides of the fence. A huge thank you to the sponsor of this season and episode, Clear Path Utility Solutions.

  6. Feb 3

    37 | Andy Abranches, VP Wildfire Mitigation, Pacific Gas and Electric

    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 Power Shutoffs (PSPS). The conversation also covers coordination with fire agencies, home hardening, defensible space, and what gives Andy optimism as utilities adapt to a new wildfire paradigm.

  7. 11/18/2025

    36 | Dennis Fallon, The New Strategic Direction of the UAA

    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-Way (ROW) industry. This will involve driving industry norms and best management practices to influence a broader collection of stakeholders.  An example is provided on the lack of standardization in the investigation of tree-caused outages. Utilities with advanced programs collect good data but not to one standard, and researchers therefore have a hard time utilizing this information and drawing conclusions from it. The UAA seeks to move the industry away from data ponds towards communal data lakes that we all stand to benefit from.   In addition to the strategic vision for The UAA, the episode includes a debrief of the record-breaking Trees and Utilities event that took place in September 2025, and a brief on the Environmental Concerns in Right-of-Way Management Symposium that will take place May 11-14 2026 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Past proceedings from the conference can be found here. A huge thank you to the sponsor of this season and episode, Clear Path Utility Solutions.

  8. 10/24/2025

    35 | Ryan Korpela, Celerity Utilities & Clear Path Utility Solutions

    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 utilities strengthen safety, compliance, and operational resilience in an increasingly challenging environment. Ryan shares the origin story of Clear Path Utility Solutions and its relationship with Celerity, detailing how the company bridges the gap between construction management, vegetation services, and environmental compliance. He outlines Clear Path’s comprehensive suite of services — from risk compliance audits and emergency response to technology-driven vegetation management — all designed to help utilities stay ahead of regulatory requirements and insurer expectations. The discussion also explores the growing role of technology and data analytics in making vegetation management more predictive, proactive, and integrated with infrastructure planning. Ryan offers valuable insights into the evolving wildfire threat, how utilities can better prepare for extreme weather, and why partnering with expert-driven teams is key to achieving safety and efficiency goals. As the episode wraps up, listeners are left with practical advice on staying proactive, embracing innovation, and fostering collaboration to build a safer, more reliable energy grid. Learn more about Clear Path Utility Solutions at clearpathutilityconsulting.com

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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) is a rapidly growing multi-billion dollar a year industry employing tens of thousands of people. UVM is the largest operational expense in most electric utilities and frequently the largest driver of system reliability and outage management. In recent years, climate change, wildfires, storms and Public Safety Power Shutoffs have brought the industry into mainstream news. Several groups including government, regulators, utilities, contractors, industry and the public are now active stakeholders and contribute to the public debate. Despite high levels of concern and interest in the subject matter, communications on the topic have been restricted to traditional media outlets. The UVM Podcast is the first of its kind. It aims to directly insert itself in the public conversation as a 21st Century medium to discuss and address the challenges that face us all. The podcast is hosted by Stephen Cieslewicz, an internationally recognized expert in UVM, and Nick Ferguson, a Tech Sector leader specializing in Utility Vegetation Management.

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