Authors:
Jessica Tomaszewski, UVM Program Manager, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Randall H. Miller, Director of Research and Development, CNUC
*Editorial Note: The following article appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of the UAA Newsline.
The Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) Professional Development Program (PDP), a comprehensive certificate-based college-level training program designed and facilitated by industry professionals who will lead participants through the knowledge and skills needed to plan and manage sustainable UVM programs. The UVM PDP emphasizes applied learning and provides opportunities for participants to think beyond their current daily individual tasks to what knowledge and skills they need to advance into management positions. It is a cooperative effort among the UAA, Utility Vegetation Management Association and the Wisconsin Forestry Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Program Overview
The program consists of 2 certificates and a credential preparation course which are project-based. It is 100% online and courses are designed for applied learning for working professionals. There are no set days and times to engage with the course so participants can do the weekly course requirements on their own schedule. The goal of the courses is to enhance comprehension and application of industry best practices so participants can advance beyond their current roles to help enact comprehensive UVM management for their utilities or companies. The UVM PDP is designed and facilitated by industry professionals, who blend their knowledge and experience with that of the participants to create a rich learning environment.
The UVM PDP is a pathway for UVM career development and advancement. It is designed for individuals who are working within utility and other arboricultural specialties and are interested in enhancing their knowledge to manage a comprehensive UVM programs. Among those who would benefit from the program include crew supervisors who desire to advance to a management position; UVM managers who are responsible for one aspect of a UVM plan and want to explore other domains; and leaders on the utility crews who the company wants to mentor and encourage to climb their organizational structure to a management position. The curriculum is challenging, and those considering participating should be prepared for the stretching their thinking and applying their learning.
The program is comprised of three stages: a Foundations of UVM Certificate, a UVM Professional Certificate, and UVM Program Planning Credential Prep Course.
Foundations of UVM Certificate
The Foundations Certificate is a year-long program consisting of five courses of 3 to 5 weeks each. Foundation’s participants should be prepared to devote 8-10 hours a week to coursework. The Foundations Certificate courses begin with North American Electrical Systems. It is a 5-week course, which explores energy generation, transmission, and distribution, and how it is impacted by vegetation management. The second course is Utility Arboriculture and it also lasts 5-weeks. It focuses on growing conditions and vegetation controls impact electrical systems and introduces integrated vegetation management control methods. The third course is Leadership and Organizations and is 4-weeks long. It introduces leadership styles and skills and how they impact UVM. It emphasizes organizational systems the operational processes of a participant’s work. The fourth course is Program and Project Management. In the five weeks of this course participants examine all UVM program domains and project management concepts as it relates to a participants’ workplace. The final course is only 3-weeks long and introduces integrated vegetation management (IVM) as a systematic approach to UVM and has participants systematically evaluating IVM.
UVM Professional Certificate
The UVM professional certificate is the second stage of the UVM Professional Development Program, also lasting a year. It is comprised of 3, 10-week courses. Participants can expect to devote 10-15 hours a week for the duration of this slate of courses. The first course of this certificate is Compliance and Stakeholder Management. It focuses on program and project management processes attendant to managing regulatory compliance, stakeholders’ communications, and records documentation. Scope, Cost and Procurement Management teaches the necessity of a clear scope of UVM work to be completed, scheduling of the use of resources, budgeting, and procuring resources. UVM Safety, Risks, and Quality Management examines the title components and should in integral to the development of any UVM program and project. It also emphasizes safety as a requirement for workplace culture.
UVM Program Planning – Credential Prep Course
The final stage of the UVM PDP is the UVM Program Planning Credential, which is a 12-week course and will demand 15-20 hours a week. It involves completing a UVM plan that addresses safety, compliance, best practices, right-of-way stewardship, IVM and project management tools and processes. The idea is for participants to apply the concepts learned throughout the Program to building a sustainable UVM program for their utility. To be eligible for the Credential, the UAA requires participants to have completed the full UVM Certificate Program, have 2-years of work experience, being a UAA member and be committed to the UVM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Plans written in this course will be evaluated by the UAA Credentialing Board who will issue the Certified Utility Vegetation Management Credential.
Table 1. UVM Program Course Start Dates
Course Logistics
To be successful in the UVM courses, participants need to read the weekly module, participate in discussion, assemble weekly project task documents, and ultimately complete a final project. Each week, facilitators give feedback on the project task so that information can be incorporated into the final project. Participants can expect to have to devote 8-15 hours a week to their course work. The learning platform for the program is Canvas. Participants will be required to undergo 2-4 hours of orientation before the first class to introduce Canvas and full program information. During orientation participants will learn course navigation, complete a time-management exercise, and ensure they have the resources for success.
Summary
The Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) Program expands on participants’ experiences with additional UVM knowledge and skills through applied learning opportunities. It is designed to take driven utility foresters and UVM professionals who aspire to lead in the UVM industry though a learning journey to build comprehensive UVM management plans. By working through all the UVM program domains, our UVM program graduates will be well versed for leadership roles in our utilities and a fulfilling career making sure our utility corridors are safe and wonderful assets to our communities.
Cindy is the Senior Director, Vegetation Management Services and she manages departments responsible for maintaining vegetation in REC’s rights-of-way with the goal of reducing exposure of the electric grid to tree caused outages while encouraging habitat and species diversity. Cindy also has a consulting business, EcoAcumen, LLC that focuses on residential, commercial and government clients.
Kimberly Laing has had an exciting career in the energy industry, gaining valuable experience in various areas for almost 20 years. During her career, she has worked with numerous customers worldwide in a diverse cross-disciplined technical environment. She has extensive experience working with utilities, asset owners, equipment manufacturers, and consultants to facilitate transmission and distribution projects. Kimberly is particularly passionate about Utility Vegetation Management and its vital role in delivering safe and reliable power.
Josh Beaver is currently senior vice president of Eocene Environmental Group, a utility vegetation management (UVM) consulting and operations firm. Josh has more than two decades of experience within the UVM industry. He is currently responsible for relationship management and oversight of long-term UVM contracts throughout the United States and Canada. He considers customer and community communication to be vital aspects of his role, and he has a proven record of success working with utilities.
Sam joins the UAA crew with over a decade of non-profit experience behind her. As our Partnership Coordinator, her focused efforts on building relationships with diverse funders will include crafting proposals, cultivating connections, and cohesively earning dedicated sponsors to support the sustainability of UAA substantially and empowering our programs. Well equipped with professional skills which include program development, public speaking, proposal writing, donor relations, working with diverse stakeholders, coalition building, and public-facing service. Sam’s educational background includes a BS in Animal Ecology with a minor in Animal Science, and a MA in Philanthropy and Non-profit Development.
Sara Dreiser is a Senior Program Manager with ComEd. She works with a team to oversee ComEd’s routine cycle maintenance and ComEd’s interruption investigation programs. She has been working in the Vegetation Management industry for close to 15 years.
Matt Goff is a Transmission Vegetation Manager at Georgia Power Company. He lives in Brookhaven, GA with his wife, two daughters, and the family’s two dogs Sam, and Payton. For leisure, he enjoys sports with his family, bird hunting, and salt-water fishing.Matt holds a BSFR from the University of Georgia in Forest Resource Management and he graduated in 1997. He has worked in the vegetation management industry for 26 years. His work experience includes six years as a procurement forester for a forest products manufacturer, and 20 years in the utility vegetation management industry with Georgia Power.
Brandon graduated from Minnesota State University–Mankato with a B.S. in Geography. Brandon has been with Rainbow Tree Company since 2009 and has gained experience in several roles, including Business Developer for our utility products division, GIS Tree Inventory Analyst, and Technical Arborist. Brandon has been the Director of VM Services, the fastest growing division inRainbow Tree Company, since 2012.
A winner of the David H Nabi Award for dedication and service, Dr. Robert Vanderhoof earned his Ph.D. from the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University in 1995. A veteran natural resource manager, Robert spent 15 years as Florida’s Deer Management Section Chief during which time he coordinated range management activities across Florida’s seven-million-acre wildlife management area system.
Amanda Opp, Certified Utility Vegetation Management Professional Flathead Electric Cooperative, Integrated Services Manager, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Course Facilitator
Jim Neeser is a business developer for the Davey Resource Group, a division of the Davey Tree Expert Company. Jim primarily works with utility companies to provide innovative and customized solutions. Jim earned his AA from Vermillion Community College in 1997 and his BS in Forestry with an emphasis on Hydrology and Soils from the University of Minnesota in 2000. Jim is an ISA Certified Arborist with the Utility Specialist endorsement. Jim has been involved in the UAA training committee for nearly a decade as a past chairman and is currently the treasurer and Champion of the finance committee. Jim spent his first 7 years in the industry as a field arborist in the commercial and utility markets. The last 10 years, Jim has been working with utility companies to enhance their Integrated Vegetation Management programs. Jim’s other interests include spending time with his family, sports, hiking, fishing and coin collecting. Jim is also active with the Boy Scouts of America as an Eagle Scout. Jim lives in Forest Lake, MN with his wife and 2 children.
Adam’s experience includes leading business development strategies for a utility vegetation management consulting firm, vegetation management field operations at two major investor-owned utilities in the southeastern US, project management at a variety of utilities in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern regions, and vegetation management program development and assessments across the country. His utility arboricultural experience provides a broad understanding of the many different methods used to create a successful utility right-of-way, vegetation management program, including remote sensing, data analytics, optimization, and the utilization of third-party consulting foresters for planning and auditing duties.
Craig works for Pacific Gas and Electric as a Principal Program Manager in Land Management. His career spans 30 years in the utility industry serving numerous roles. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, Utility Specialist, and hold his TRAQ and is a TCIA Certified TreeCare Safety Professional. Craig has been engaged and involved in the UAA for many years, starting back in 2008. He then wanted more so he ran for UAA President and was elected in 2014. Today, Craig looks back over his 30-year career and wouldn’t change a thing, he’s made life-long friends and considers many as mentors. He also claims he would not be where is in his career if it weren’t for these people, and pledges to pay it forward to support others in their success.
Erin Creekmur has been in the UVM industry for over 20 years. After graduating with a Bachelors in Botany from Northern Arizona University she relocated to Northern California to start her professional career. Starting as a consulting utility pre-inspector with Western ECI she quickly moving up to the ranks to Supervisor under the tutelage of folks like Nelson Money. In 2004, Erin joined PG&E as a Quality Assurance Auditor for the VM program. Eventually becoming the Program Manager for the North Coast Division, helping stand up the beginnings of CEMA as the Emergency Drought Response Initiative Lead for the Enhanced Inspection & Mitigation Program, targeting off-cycle hazard trees across the system. In 2015, Erin moved back to her home state of Arizona and took the role of Division Supervisor with Arizona Public Service, managing both transmission and distribution UVM programs out of the Flagstaff area. As part of her role with APS Forestry Fire and Resource Management Department, Erin had responsibility for creating a Hazard Tree Mitigation program. maintaining APS’s ROW Stewardship Accreditation, FERC reporting, and the Transmission Lidar program. In 2021, Erin took a shift in her career and is now Supervising the Customer Construction and Design team for APS, expanding her overall understanding of the Utility industry. Erin continues to maintain her ISA Utility Specialist Certification and TRAQ. She has also completed certifications in both Six Sigma and Lean Sigma Green Belt through accredited universities. In addition to her current service on the UAA Board of Directors, Erin spent the last 6 years as an officer with the Arboretum at Flagstaff Board of Directors. In her free time, you can find Erin in the woods taking pictures of native plants and beautiful western landscapes.
Fallon is a Utility Arborist and Executive Director of the Utility Arborist Association. Prior to his current role he was responsible for leading vegetation management programs across several upper Midwest states on behalf of a large investor-owned utility. He’s also been an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he facilitated the 
Renée is our Member Services Manager. She is available to UAA members for questions on committee assignments, educational opportunities, scholarships, CEU questions, and any other assistance.
Diona has been with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) since December 2015 and has worked in various capacities within the organization.