About this episode

Chris Rooney discusses the impact of legislation on utility vegetation management and the collaborative efforts of Rhode Island Energy.

Get the latest updates from our LinkedIn page! https://onelink.to/treesandlines Welcome back to another episode of the Trees & Lines podcast. Chris Rooney, Forestry Manager at Rhode Island Energy, joins us to discuss how legislation can be a powerful tool for utilities looking to deliver more consistent, effective vegetation management programs. Chris shares how Rhode Island Energy navigated a major corporate transition from National Grid to PPL Corporation and used that moment as an opportunity to advocate for state level legislation that formalizes their forestry planning process. He explains how the law brings municipalities to the table, enhances community notification, and creates a four year planning cycle with real stakeholder input. The conversation also covers managing a remarkably diverse urban forest across 38 cities and towns, building a Right Tree, Right Place program, and why collaboration with lawmakers, the PUC, and community partners is now central to Rhode Island Energy's vegetation management strategy. Have a listen, hope you enjoy! #VegetationManagement #UtilityArboriculture #UtilityLeadership #GridReliability #UtilityOperations #RightTreeRightPlace…

People in this episode

Guest: Chris Rooney

Topics covered

• Utility Forestry
• Legislation
• Vegetation Management
• Community Engagement
• Urban Forestry
• Collaboration

Keywords

• Vegetation Management
• Utility Arboriculture
• Grid Reliability
• Right Tree Right Place
• Urban Forestry
• Stakeholder Input
• Corporate Transition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rhode Island Energy, National Grid, PPL Corporation

Places: Rhode Island

More episodes of Trees & Lines: A Utility Vegetation Management Podcast

• Reclaiming Right-of-Ways and Relationships w/ Joe DeLong · May 6, 2026 · 20 min
• The Future of Pipelines and Energy Infrastructure w/ Dean Mutrie · March 25, 2026 · 46 min
• From Vegetation Control to Habitat Creation w/Stan Vera-Art · February 18, 2026 · 12 min
• From Time-Based to Risk-Based Vegetation Planning w/ Don Adcock · February 4, 2026 · 22 min
• Monarchs, Bumblebees, and Right-of-Way Conservation w/Megan Petraitis · January 21, 2026 · 16 min
• Supporting Women in Utility Forestry and Leadership w/Jenna Turner & Kathy Ferrier · January 7, 2026 · 17 min

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