Feature

From the Classroom to the Canopy: How UT Urban Forestry Students become Protectors of the Power Grid

By Jaq Payne¹, Nick Bridgeman², Nick Herron², and Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe³

¹National Director of the Champion Tree Program;

²Utility Forester with Knoxville Utility Board (KUB);

³Professor, School of Natural Resources, The University of Tennessee

Above our heads and lining our roads, electrical wires hum with power (Figure 1). This energy keeps the lights on, helps operate machinery and medical devices, and even provides lifesaving services such as heat in the winter. When trees grow into power lines (or fall onto them), not only does this disrupt the flow of energy to homes and businesses, but if the tree itself becomes energized, the tree is dangerous to be around and even can start fires. Underground, shrub and tree roots may grow to interact with gas lines and plumbing, leading to similarly problematic outcomes. To reduce these types of conflicts between plants, people, and essential infrastructure, we train students, staff, and technicians to use Utility Vegetation Management (UVM). UVM involves removing or modifying vegetation, especially trees and woody plant parts, to reduce the potential for conflict. In practice, UVM results in control of plant growth near and around powerlines (Figure 2), pipelines, and railroads. This proactive effort is critically important in safely preventing disruptions across utility infrastructure.

Figure 1. A KUB Vegetation Management intern assessing hazards from street trees

Figure 2. Intern Alec Connelly and ACR Team members protecting power lines

Students studying Urban Forestry in the School of Natural Resources (SNR) at the University of Tennessee (UT) are now recognizing that Utility Vegetation Management can be a lucrative and impactful career path (Figure 3). After graduating in 2005 from the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries (now the School of Natural Resources), Nick Bridgeman worked for the City of Lakeland, TN as the city’s Natural Resources Technician. In 2011, Nick B. had the opportunity to return to “Rocky Top” in the role of a Utility Forester with the Knoxville Utility Board (KUB). Once established at KUB, Nick B. found a way to give back to his alma mater by developing an internship experience for UT forestry students.

Figure 3. SNR undergraduate students in the Urban Forestry program learn from a Bartlett Tree Experts guest lecturer

Since 2016, KUB has provided internship opportunities for students across several majors at University of Tennessee, including forestry. Interns’ hands-on experiences with KUB helped them learn more about UVM and potential career paths in Utility Forestry. Now, KUB is home to eleven Utility Foresters that graduated from UTK. Nick B. shared that “through FWF (now SNR), we have graduates that represent forestry recreation, wildlife, traditional forestry and urban forestry. You all are our pipeline!”

Utility Forestry and UVM jobs are not the kind that children grow up dreaming about. Toymakers don’t sell “Utility Forester” playsets, like we see kids using while pretending to be doctors and police officers. To better understand how Utility Foresters find their path, we spoke to a UTK Graduate, Nick Herron (Figure 4), whose KUB internship led to full-time employment.

Figure 4. Nick Herron is a KUB Utility Forester

Nick H. started working for the KUB as a student in the 2017 fall semester. These internships usually involve on-job training while traveling with the contractors who remove vegetation, interacting with the public (Figure 5), and documenting work accomplished. Internships are vital for students to get real-world experience in their field – sometimes, it helps clarify a student’s interests, needs, and wants about their future career desires. In best-case scenarios, the internship is so aligned with a student’s career goals that they end up continuing with the organization after the internship ends. In Nick’s case after graduating in 2018, he was hired by Assessment Consulting Representation and Training (ACRT), a team of utility foresters who are contracted through KUB. The amount of work required to maintain the integrity of utility lines across a city is far beyond what a small team can accomplish. Most utility boards rely on contracted workers, like ACRT team members, who carry out the maintenance plans that the boards develop. After working two years as part of a contracted team, Nick H. was hired internally in 2020 as a Utility Forester within KUB. Five years into the job, he loves his work. “I spend the vast majority of my day outside, walking right-of-ways and working hand-in-hand with tree trimming contractors to keep the maintenance zone free of hazards.” It’s not just the joy of getting to work outdoors that draws many students into the forestry and natural resources jobs, Nick H. also sees the direct, tangible impact of his work.

Figure 5. A KUB Vegetation Management intern works with a homeowner to manage trees in the right-of-way

As he explains it, “Knowing that the electric reliability [around the KUB service area] has increased due to my efforts is very rewarding.” Nick H. also heads up the replacement tree program (Figure 6), which provides new trees for customers who have allowed KUB to remove a tree that posed a risk to the utility infrastructure. These trees are often beloved by homeowners, and many people are heartbroken when they learn “their tree” has to come down for the greater good. Planting new trees that reach a shorter maximum height and are more appropriate for the location can help ease the pain that homeowners and businesses often feel over the loss of a tree. The trees in front of people’s homes are more than just a green blur in the landscape. For some people, the trees in their yards and rights-of-way are almost a member of the family. They see the tree in the morning as they leave for work, and drive home to its welcome at the end of the day.

Figure 6. Nick Herron plants a replacement tree at a residential home

Nick H. explains that we must do everything possible to keep our infrastructure secure, but it’s also important for us to honor the grief that arises when a beloved tree is removed. Replanting programs are an excellent way to acknowledge the reality of that loss and look toward a greener, safer future.

Nick H. especially appreciates the variety of tasks his job requires of him. “As foresters, we wear many hats from customer service to project managers. Each day is a little different and that’s why I love my job.” He also credits his experience at UTK for the opportunity. “I thank the Urban Forestry program at the University of Tennessee for helping me get my foot in the door back in 2017.” The School of Natural Resources is proud to have become such a well-connected field of study at the University of Tennessee. Its programs offer experiences both in and out of the classroom (Figure 7) that help connect students with career paths that they become passionate about. The future for the program is bright – thanks in no small part to the Utility Foresters who help keep the lights on!

Figure 7. KUB Vegetation Management Intern Alec Connelly shares outreach about their work with school-aged youth

To learn more about the SNR program at UT, visit https://naturalresources.tennessee.edu/ or contact Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe.

The Utility Arborist Association (UAA) will host their annual conference in Knoxville this September.

For more information, visit https://treesandutilities.org/.