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Welcome back to another episode of the Trees & Lines podcast. Joe DeLong, Forester for the City of Westerville Electric Division, joins hosts Philip Charlton, Ph.D. and Tej Singh to discuss how a small municipal utility reduced tree-caused outages by 41%.
Joe shares his journey from climbing trees in the field to leading the vegetation management program for Westerville, a public power utility serving just 12 square miles. Faced with areas that hadn't been touched in over 10 years and limited resources, Joe implemented satellite imagery, standardized ANSI practices, and built a comprehensive tree replacement program that turned pushback into community buy-in.
The conversation covers how satellite imagery integrated with existing city systems to create visibility across the entire system, why Joe maintains both satellite data and a manual tracking backup system, how a free tree replacement program reduced resident complaints and improved urban canopy, and why requiring all crew members to become certified arborists elevated the entire team's capabilities.
Joe also discusses the challenges of working with limited budgets, the importance of data-driven decision making, and how technology like AI and species identification is shaping the future of municipal vegetation management. From reclaiming overgrown rights-of-way to planting trees every Friday in the fall, Joe's approach proves that small utilities can achieve big results with the right strategy. Have a listen, hope you enjoy!
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