Promoting sustainable resource management principles and practices along rights-of-way

Right-of-Way Stewardship Council Welcomes New Council Members

Three New Council Members Bring Utility, Environmental, and Marketing Expertise 


(Mpls, MN) - October 3, 2022 - The Right-of-Way Stewardship Council (ROWSC) is pleased to welcome three new members to the Council. Council members represent a range of stakeholder interests and areas of expertise including industry, government, academia, marketing and environmental NGOs. Council members are responsible for the strategic guidance and oversight of the ROWSC as well as final authority for all accreditations.  


Eric Brown, Vegetation Management Manager, Sacramento Municipal Utility District 

Eric Brown is currently the Vegetation Management Manager for Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in Grid Assets responsible for the Electric Transmission and Distribution Vegetation Management program. Previously Eric worked as the Supervising Northern Program Manager for Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Electric Transmission Vegetation Management Program. Eric has held several roles of increasing responsibility while at Pacific Gas and Electric for 20 years (8 as a contractor with ACRT and 12 as a PG&E employee) on both the Electric Transmission and Distribution side of the business. Eric has a B.S. in Natural Resource Management with emphasis in Forestry and Range Management. He is a Certified Arborist through the International Society of Arboriculture. He also holds a Qualified Applicators License through the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Eric was the past president of the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) in 2019 and 2020. He has been a member of the North American Transmission Forum (NATF) since 2011.


Victoria Woodhouse, Habitat Program Manager, Canadian Wildlife Federation

Victoria Woodhouse is a Habitat Program Manager of Terrestrial Wildlife at the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF), a registered charity dedicated to conserve and inspire the conservation of Canada’s wildlife. She manages CWF’s Rights-of-Way programs in support of native meadow restoration for pollinators. Prior to her current role, Victoria was a Senior Programme Manager at the United Nations Association in Canada. She designed and managed the Green Spaces and Green Corps programs where she developed a network of over 400 green sector organizations including renewable energy providers and facilitated delegations to various UN conferences. Victoria holds a B.A.S degree in Biology and International Development and an M.Sc in which she focused on program management and transboundary conservation issues. 


Travis Rogers, Market Development Specialist, Corteva Agriscience

Travis is a Market Development Specialist for Corteva Agriscience in their land management business. His responsibilities include supporting 9 regional territory managers across the central and eastern U.S., serving as the interface between the commercial sales and R&D units, working with Corteva regulatory, formulations, field science, marketing, and communications teams to manage the existing and future land management portfolio. Prior to his current role,Travis spent 8 years as a territory manager serving vegetation management customers in the Carolinas and Virginia. He has a total of 18 years’ experience working with energy companies, federal and state agencies, conservation groups, channel partners, and service contractors within the rights-of-way and forestry industries. Travis is a certified Arborist through ISA and licensed as a SC Pesticide Applicator.  He holds a degree in Agricultural Business and a MS in Agricultural Economics.



The ROWSC has established standards for preserving and maintaining transmission system rights-of-way. To meet the technical requirements, utilities must implement Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM), which balances the control of incompatible species with favoring desirable low-growing shrubs and grasses that don’t obstruct transmission lines or utility access. By populating transmission corridors with compatible species, utilities can reduce the need to control those incompatible species and the associated impacts and costs. Utilities must apply to the ROWSC to start the accreditation process. As part of the process, the ROWSC performs a field audit and assessment, comparing all aspects of a utility’s IVM program to the principles and criteria set forth in the latest standards.  


For more information, visit: http://www.rowstewardship.org



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About Right-of-Way Stewardship Council


Right-of-Way Stewardship Council is an accreditation program led by a diverse group of stakeholders including industry, government, academia, and environmental NGOs, in order to provide standards of excellence for environmental stewardship along rights-of-way (ROW) and presents the opportunity for utility companies to demonstrate their commitment to such standards. It establishes standards for responsible ROW vegetation management within high-voltage electric transmission corridors. The aim of the program is to promote the application of integrated vegetation management and best management practices to the utility vegetation management industry in order to maintain power system reliability and address ecological concerns.

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Right-of-Way Stewardship Council

The Right-of-Way Stewardship Council (ROWSC) is an accreditation program that has established standards for responsible right-of-way vegetation management along corridors. The program promotes the application of Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) and best management practices to utility vegetation managers in order to maintain power system reliability and address ecological concerns.

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