01
Climate resilience and extreme weather
Preparing the network for wildfire, storms, and flood, and making fast, confident calls when an event hits.
The European UVM Forum · Berlin
Europe's utility vegetation leaders, in one room for a day.
Trees & the Grid is a closed-door, utility-only forum in Berlin. One evening to connect, one focused day to compare what works and what does not, across vegetation management and grid resilience. Free to attend, by application.
What this is
Utilities in North America have long had a room like this. Europe has not.
Utilities across North America have long had Trees & Utilities to compare notes. Europe has not had an equivalent. Trees & the Grid is the first: a closed-door gathering of the people who own vegetation management and grid operations at European utilities.
No products on stage and no sales pitches. Just peers comparing real results, including what did not work, on the questions that decide reliability, cost, and risk.
Why now
Vegetation management has moved from routine maintenance to a board-level concern.
Climate and wildfire risk are rising, the grid is expanding under Europe's energy transition, and the decisions are getting harder. There has been no dedicated European room for the people making them. This is the first.
~80%
of the EU's annual burned area is in Southern Europe, with wildfire damage estimated around EUR 2.5 billion a year.
#1
Off-ROW hazard trees, those outside the right-of-way that fall in, are the largest single source of weather-driven outages.
Largest
single operations-and-maintenance line many utilities carry is vegetation management.
Sources confirmed before publication.
Who's in the room
A small, senior room of peers.
The room is built for Directors of Vegetation Management, VPs of Operations, and the senior managers who run these programs day to day. The people who own the budget, the risk, and the operating model.
Speakers are utility practitioners first, with academics, regulators, and insurers where they add to the conversation. This is a strategy, economics, risk, and operating-model room, not a craft-skills room. No vendor sales talks.
What we will cover
Five themes the room is built around.
The questions that decide reliability, cost, and risk across European vegetation management.
02
Moving from cycles to risk
Shifting from calendar-based cutting to condition- and risk-based vegetation management, and proving the return.
03
Ecological corridors, biodiversity and climate action
Treating corridors as a cost, permitting, and climate strategy, not only a compliance task.
04
Liability and compliance
The liability and insurance exposure that sits behind every vegetation decision.
05
Building and leading VM and operations
The operating model, people, and decision flow behind a program that moves fast.
How it works
One evening, one focused day.
One evening, one day
An evening of opening and networking on 14 October, then a full day of sessions on 15 October.
30-minute sessions
Every session is 30 minutes, either a presentation or an interactive workshop.
Single track, some parallel
One track keeps the room together, with a few parallel workshops for hands-on work.
Free and utility-only
No ticket cost. The room is closed-door and limited to utility professionals. Berlin.
Programme & speakers
The programme is taking shape.
Sessions and speakers are confirmed through the call for proposals. Final programme published September 2026.
Take part
Two ways in.
Register to attend, and we will confirm your place. Or propose a session if you have a result worth sharing with peers.
Register to attend
Registration is an application. The room is utility-only and places are limited, so we confirm each registration after a short review. It takes a couple of minutes.
RegisterPropose a session
Bring a real result your peers can act on, including what did not work. Talks and interactive workshops, 30 minutes each.
Read the call for speakersNot ready to decide?
Leave your email and we will keep you posted on the venue, programme, and speaker reveals.
HubSpot
Keep me posted
Email-capture form to be added (HubSpot).
Convened by 
Trees & the Grid is convened and underwritten by LiveEO to support the European vegetation management community and to learn alongside utilities. There is no product pitch on stage.
Is it really free?
Yes. LiveEO convenes and underwrites the forum. There is no ticket cost.
Who can attend?
Utility professionals working in vegetation management, grid operations, asset management, and related roles. The room is closed-door and utility-only.
Can vendors or consultants attend or speak?
No sales talks and no vendor speaking slots. The program is built from utility, academic, regulator, and insurer voices.
What does it cost LiveEO, and what is the catch?
LiveEO hosts it to support the community and to learn alongside utilities. There is no pitch on stage.
Will sessions be recorded or quoted?
We are planning a Chatham House style rule so people can speak candidly. The final policy will be confirmed before the event.
Travel and accommodation?
To be confirmed once the venue is set. We will state clearly what is and is not covered and suggest nearby hotels.
How are attendees selected?
Applications are reviewed to keep the room senior and utility-only. Early applications are encouraged because places are limited.