Vegetation Management

Leverage Your Research Dollars

April 11, 2016

PG&E has committed to matching donations made in 2016 and 2017 to the TREE Fund’s UARF at 50 cents on the dollar.

Some years ago Arizona Public Service provided seed money to initiate the Utility Arborist Research Fund (UARF). The UARF research focuses exclusively on utility arboriculture and vegetation management issues.

PG&E has committed to matching donations made in 2016 and 2017 to the TREE Fund’s UARF at 50 cents on the dollar, with a maximum match of $125,000 per year.

I have previously stumped for research funding and suggested that if the UVM industry were to spend a very conservative ½ of a percent on research the information garnered would be positively amazing. That suggested spending in comparison to the average all industries research spending of 3.5%, is embarrassingly low. If you have ever considered allocating more to UVM research, PG&E has provided an incentive to do so now.

I applaud PG&E for their commitment to UVM research and offering you the opportunity to stretch your UVM research allocation by 50%.

About the Author

Sig Guggenmoos | P. Ag. CPC President, Ecological Solutions Inc., Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Education: Bachelor of Science in Agriculture B.Sc.(Agr.)

Accreditations: Professional Agrologist (P.Ag.); Certified Professional Consultant (CPC)

Organizations: Alberta Institute of Agrologists, International Society of Arboriculture, Utility Arborist Association, Industrial Vegetation Management Association of Alberta.

Mr. Guggenmoos was a chief architect of the TransAlta Utilities Distribution Line Clearance program, which reduced tree related outages 80%; saved 48 million dollars over two maintenance cycles; had a 98% customer satisfaction rating; and, showed a 21% increase in contractor crew productivity. He was responsible for the herbicide program, associated research and communication. In addition, he brought a financial focus to the program, developing processes for financial comparisons of alternatives to repetitive tree pruning and was intimately involved in the design and assessment of contracting methods.

As president of Ecological Solutions Inc. (Ecosync) Mr. Guggenmoos provides consulting services in vegetation management and biotic greenhouse gas mitigation strategies including biomass-derived energy.

Publications and Presentations:
Author of numerous abstracts and publications; numerous presentations to public, industry and professional associations including international conferences. List of publications available upon request.