An introduction and overview of the day's proceedings, with an outline of the past, present and future of ROW smart monitoring for wildfire mitigation, and asset management in utilities' and cities' Right of Way.

In the last two decades, the Western United States has been burning at unprecedented rates, The rate of burning in some regions is likely exceeding any other period in the last 2,000 years. Moreover, the incidence of extremely large "megafires" has increased significantly. Megafires, which can create their own weather that frequently further exacerbates extreme fire weather conditions, tend to be particularly destructive and challenging to contain. While the primary driver of this the rate of burning and the ever increasing incidence of megafires is largely a result of shifting climate, land use and climate history have also helped set the stage for our current wildfire crisis. In this talk, Dr. Sibold will illustrate the climate and land use history drivers contributing to the current crisis.

A discussion of current issues for utilities facing wildfire threat and operational insight into mitigation efforts.

The importance of utility vegetation management is growing as weather events become more severe. Also, there is growing awareness of the topic and demands by the public to make the grid more resilient against the ramifications of climate change. Consequently, utilities are exploring new technologies to limit the risk posed by tree conductor conflict. Satellite analytics is one technology that has recently made its way into the toolbox of utility vegetation managers. By analyzing up-to-date satellite imagery with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), LiveEO can provide utilities with a grid-wide overview of vegetation along their network. This information contains location data as well as insight into the height, vitality and species of the trees. This brief overview will highlight LiveEO’s solution, which translates this information into risk classes and actionable work orders that can be understood and worked with by people who have no background in geospatial science. 

As Climate Change persists, influencing the way utilities address vegetation challenges, there is a growing imperative to employ advanced technology in order to effectively mitigate encroaching vegetation on utilities' infrastructure. Trimble has emerged as a frontrunner in tackling this issue through the utilization of asset management technology, enabling more efficient monitoring of vegetation encroachment. Leveraging a combination of LiDAR, Satellite, and Augmented Reality, Trimble's innovative applications equip utilities with precise insights into their vegetation concerns while significantly reducing the need for extensive field work. By empowering utility staff to make informed, data-driven decisions regarding vegetation hazards within the Right-of-Way, Trimble's solution revolutionizes vegetation control methodologies.

A panel discussion of the issues and available management strategies for wildfire risk mitigation, with live audience question-and-answers.

Session wrap-up and audience take-aways.