In this episode we interview David Bayard, the Vegetation Manager at Seattle City Light, the 10th largest publicly owned utility in the United States. With a job that includes oversight and involvement with both UVM and the municipal/urban forest, David provides insights into what some have wrongly considered to be competing interests. During this thoughtful, and at times philosophic interview, we discuss a range of topical issues including: How an English Literature major moves from prose to UVMThe history of Seattle City LightThe migrating fire problem in Washington State Potential changes to utility practices as a result of the increased threat of fires in the Pacific Northwest.Seattle City Light’s customer focus and accomplishmentsSuccessfully managing priorities for canopy cover, social equity, and the need for providing safe and reliable electric service.  Seattle City Light’s past and future UVM-related Tech capabilitiesWe hope that you find this episode of The UVM Podcast insightful. If you have any feedback on the episode or suggestions for topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes, please feel free to get in contact at [email protected].