Trees & Lines: A Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

Slowing Growth With TGRs Lowers Long-Term Cost w/ Liz Westberg

Get the latest updates from our LinkedIn page! https://onelink.to/treesandlines [https://onelink.to/treesandlines]  Welcome back to another episode of the Trees & Lines podcast. Liz Westberg, Business Development at Growth Solutions, joins us to discuss how tree growth regulators are helping utilities reduce long-term vegetation management costs by slowing regrowth and extending pruning cycles. Liz breaks down the science behind paclobutrazol, explaining how it works at the cellular level by reducing gibberellic acid production and redirecting tree energy in ways that also improve drought tolerance, root development, and overall tree health. She walks through the business case for TGRs, including cost savings of 20 to 70% depending on access conditions, and explains why timing treatments close to pruning events is critical to getting the best results out of any program. The conversation also covers species considerations across deciduous trees, conifers, and monocots, why implementation scope and target selection matter more than most utilities realize, and how Growth Solutions manages landowner communication and opt-out programs in the field. Liz shares why less than 20% of utilities currently use TGRs despite decades of availability, what it takes to build the internal business case for adoption, and why the foresters who have implemented these programs rarely want to give them up once they start seeing results. Have a listen, hope you enjoy! #VegetationManagement #UtilityArboriculture #TreeGrowthRegulators #GridReliability #UtilityOperations #UrbanForestry #EnergyInfrastructure #Utilities ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Reclaiming Right-of-Ways and Relationships w/ Joe DeLong

Get the latest updates from our LinkedIn page! https://onelink.to/treesandlines [https://onelink.to/treesandlines] Welcome back to another episode of the Trees & Lines podcast. Joe DeLong, Forester for the City of Westerville Electric Division, joins hosts Philip Charlton, Ph.D. and Tej Singh to discuss how a small municipal utility reduced tree-caused outages by 41%. Joe shares his journey from climbing trees in the field to leading the vegetation management program for Westerville, a public power utility serving just 12 square miles. Faced with areas that hadn't been touched in over 10 years and limited resources, Joe implemented satellite imagery, standardized ANSI practices, and built a comprehensive tree replacement program that turned pushback into community buy-in. The conversation covers how satellite imagery integrated with existing city systems to create visibility across the entire system, why Joe maintains both satellite data and a manual tracking backup system, how a free tree replacement program reduced resident complaints and improved urban canopy, and why requiring all crew members to become certified arborists elevated the entire team's capabilities. Joe also discusses the challenges of working with limited budgets, the importance of data-driven decision making, and how technology like AI and species identification is shaping the future of municipal vegetation management. From reclaiming overgrown rights-of-way to planting trees every Friday in the fall, Joe's approach proves that small utilities can achieve big results with the right strategy. Have a listen, hope you enjoy! #VegetationManagement #UtilityArboriculture #SatelliteImagery #MunicipalUtilities #DataDrivenVegetationManagement #UrbanForestry #UtilityOperations #GridReliability #TreeWork ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Building Partnerships with Utilities, Agencies and the Landscape They Share w/Rick Johnstone

Get the latest updates from our LinkedIn page! https://onelink.to/treesandlines [https://onelink.to/treesandlines] Welcome back to another episode of the Trees & Lines podcast. Rick Johnstone, founder of IVM Partners and a utility vegetation management veteran with nearly 50 years of experience, joins hosts Phil Charlton, PH.D and Tej Singh to discuss how Integrated Vegetation Management goes far beyond cutting trees and controlling brush. Rick shares how his career evolved from forester at Allegheny Power and Delmarva Power to founding IVM Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to proving that rights-of-way can be managed as valuable habitat corridors rather than maintenance liabilities. He explains how working with federal and state agencies transformed his approach to vegetation management and why collaboration beats confrontation every time. The conversation covers how retaining native seed banks creates habitat for rare orchids, Blanding's turtles, and quail, how IVM programs can reduce wildfire risk by managing for low-growing, cool-burning plants, why utilities should view agencies as partners, and how Enable Midstream saved $500,000 annually while improving ecological outcomes. Rick also discusses his current work with wind, solar, natural gas projects, and railroads managing for monarch butterflies and pollinators. Have a listen, hope you enjoy! #VegetationManagement #UtilityArboriculture #IVM #EcosystemManagement #HabitatRestoration #Pollinators #WildlifeConservation ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Future of Pipelines and Energy Infrastructure w/ Dean Mutrie

Get the latest updates from our LinkedIn page! https://onelink.to/treesandlines [https://onelink.to/treesandlines] Welcome back to another episode of the Trees & Lines podcast. Dean Mutrie, a veteran of the pipeline industry and keynote speaker at the upcoming International Symposium on Environmental Concerns and Rights of Way Management, joins hosts Philip M. Charlton and Brian Sprinkle to discuss his decades-long career in pipeline rights of way management. Dean shares how he transitioned from environmental studies to specializing in pipeline construction and regulatory filings, what he learned working on projects across Canada and the U.S., and why practical field experience is essential for environmental professionals. The conversation covers the evolution of the Rights of Way Symposium over 50 years, the growing complexity of pipeline development in today's regulatory environment, and the critical safety differences between pipeline and rail transport for oil and gas. Dean also discusses the challenges of balancing energy infrastructure development with environmental and Indigenous concerns, and why multidisciplinary collaboration at conferences like the symposium is more important than ever. Have a listen, hope you enjoy! #VegetationManagement #RightOfWay #PipelineIndustry #EnergyInfrastructure #UtilityOperations #EnvironmentalManagement #SafetyCulture #InfrastructureDevelopment #RegulatoryCompliance #LeadershipLessons #UtilityInnovation ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Shaping Utility Forestry through Policy and Partnerships w/Chris Rooney

Get the latest updates from our LinkedIn page! https://onelink.to/treesandlines [https://onelink.to/treesandlines] Welcome back to another episode of the Trees & Lines podcast. Chris Rooney, Forestry Manager at Rhode Island Energy, joins us to discuss how legislation can be a powerful tool for utilities looking to deliver more consistent, effective vegetation management programs. Chris shares how Rhode Island Energy navigated a major corporate transition from National Grid to PPL Corporation and used that moment as an opportunity to advocate for state level legislation that formalizes their forestry planning process. He explains how the law brings municipalities to the table, enhances community notification, and creates a four year planning cycle with real stakeholder input. The conversation also covers managing a remarkably diverse urban forest across 38 cities and towns, building a Right Tree, Right Place program, and why collaboration with lawmakers, the PUC, and community partners is now central to Rhode Island Energy's vegetation management strategy. Have a listen, hope you enjoy! #VegetationManagement #UtilityArboriculture #UtilityLeadership #GridReliability #UtilityOperations #RightTreeRightPlace #EnergyInfrastructure #Utilities #UrbanForestry #StormPreparedness #SafetyCulture #UtilityInnovation #WorkplaceSafety #LeadershipLessons ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.