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.

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

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 mitigation plans, the role of technology (including tools like Technosylva), and the way local vegetation—oak and juniper rather than pines—shapes tactics on the ground. Listeners get a look at operational readiness during red‑flag conditions, how wildfire risk is being woven into routine vegetation‑management cycles, the overlap with WUI codes and defensible‑space responsibilities, and how grid‑modernization efforts support prevention and response. The episode also tackles the politics of tree work after major storms like Yuri and Mara, and closes with Chris’s practical advice for utilities standing up new programs in regions where wildfire is a newer concern.

A big thank you to the sponsors of this episode, Clear Path Utility Solutions.