Research & Publications
STANDARDS & BMP’s
Managers and practitioners should be aware of all relevant standards and Best Management Practices (BMPs) related to utility arboriculture and utility vegetation management. The UAA encourages employers to make these BMPs available to all field personnel.
Tree Worker Safety ANSI Z133: The 2017 Z133 Safety Standard was developed for the arboriculture industry under the procedures of the American National Standards Institute. The 2017 revision provides the most current criteria in the United States for arborists and other workers engaged in arboricultural operations:
- General safety
- Electrical hazard
- Use of vehicles and mobile equipment
- Portable power hand tools
- Hand tools and ladders
- Climbing
- Work procedures
This publication provides an essential guide for federal, state, and municipal authorities in drafting regulations.
- To learn more about the Standard: Z133: Tree worker safety standards please visit the ISA website.
- If you wish to purchase the ANSI Z133 Safety Standard, please visit the ISA Bookstore
ANSI A300 Standards are the generally accepted industry standards for tree care practices.
They are voluntary industry consensus standards developed by TCIA and written by a committee called the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) A300, whose mission is to develop consensus performance standards based on current research and sound practice for writing specifications to manage trees, shrubs, and other woody plants.
ANSI A300 Standards
- For questions, or to learn more about the ANSI A300 Standards please visit the TCIA website
- If you wish to purchase any parts of the A300, please visit the ISA Bookstore
Industry Best Management Practices
Pruning of Trees
Integrated Vegetation Management
INDUSTRY ACCEPTED PRACTICES
Industry leaders gather each year at the System Utility Vegetation Management Summit and discuss best practices. The following white papers provide insight into various issues and current thinking about state-of-the-art utility vegetation management. Please note that these papers have not undergone the type of rigorous review that would qualify them as “Best Management Practices” but reflect the discussion among these industry leaders.
Presentations made at the 2015 Utility Vegetation Managers Summit
RESEARCH
2018 UAA Vegetation Managers Summit
White paper
Utility Rights-of-Way Wildlife Research at Penn State
Latest Research Findings: Plant and Animal Response to Right-of-Way Treatments
Rights-of-Way Past Proceedings
Review information from previous symposiums.
Cost-efficiency of IVM
See report: The Cost-Efficiency of IVM
Managing Liability and Risk of Unavoidable Events
Prepared from utility Arborist Association System Managers Summit, April 14-15, 2015 | Nashville, TN
This paper summarizes key issues around managing the risk and associated liabilities in instances where electric distribution and transmission systems are affected by events or entities beyond the control of the utility, state regulatory body, and FERC/NERC.
BROCHURES & OTHER RESOURCES
The UAA offers other sources of information to our members from study guides to pass your Utility Specialist Certification to brochures your organization can use on site with clients.
The Utility Specialist Certification Study Guide is based on scientific research and proven best practices. This book provides utility arborists and foresters with the information necessary to navigate the complexities of today’s vegetation management industry.
It covers the latest methods and techniques in the areas of safety, program and personnel management, utility pruning, integrated vegetation management, electrical knowledge, storm preparation and response, and communications.
This study guide can be found on the ISA Bookstore:
- Digital copy: https://wwv.isa-arbor.com/store/product/4488
- Physical Book: https://wwv.isa-arbor.com/store/product/4397
Public information brochures, developed by the UAA to help the utility arborist educate consumers, are now available. The new versions have been reviewed and redesigned by the UAA Education Committee.
The brochures are
- Technically accurate
- Developed by working utility arborists
- Reviewed by utility customers
- Easy to understand
Safety Requirements for the Tree Care Profession
This brochure contains life-saving information for property owners and for tree care workers who perform work near electrical facilities. The brochure pdf can be customized in Adobe Acrobat with your business contact information.
Utility Pruning of Trees
To check prices and place your order for printed copies, contact UAA:
dneeser@gotouaa.org
(651) 464-0380
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Address
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Phone: 800-680-4106
Email: office@gotouaa.org
Tim is the Vice President of Health and Safety for the Townsend Tree Company.
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.
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 
Kevin Puls is the president of ACRT. He has been with the company for more than 25 years and began his career with us as a work planner in western Ohio. He worked his way up to become an operations manager, senior operations manager, and director of operations. During his tenure he has managed utility vegetation contracts, municipal forestry programs, performed environmental compliance inspections, and many more items. He has worked with over 50 customers in over 40 states. He attended Mount Union College where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in ecology. He completed his internship at Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts as part of a grant from the National Science Foundation. Kevin performed studies on plant-soil-air interactions and presented his research in multiple forums. Kevin also holds an MBA in Executive Management from Ashland University. Kevin also serves as a committee member on multiple BSA troops and conservation organizations.
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.