Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) is more about reducing wildfire risk, meeting increasingly strict regulations, and ensuring grid reliability in extreme weather. With outages and disasters often traced back to unmanaged or overgrown vegetation, utilities now face intense scrutiny from regulators, insurance carriers, and the public.
To meet these rising demands, utilities are investing in UVM software that’s smarter, faster, and more connected than ever before. But most software in the market promises everything yet under deliver in the field.
This blog breaks down the 10 non-negotiable features utility leaders, vegetation managers, and asset operations teams should look for.
Let’s dig in.
Legacy systems rely on static data, what was trimmed last year, where outages occurred before. That’s reactive. What you need is predictive capability and proactive solutions.
AI-driven software analyzes LiDAR, satellite, and inspection data to:
AI lets utilities act before an issue becomes a liability.
Modern UVM platforms must work hand-in-glove with spatial data, especially LiDAR and high-res aerial imagery. This means:
Your UVM software should plug into it directly, not duplicate it.
LiDAR is powerful, but they’re expensive. The best UVM platforms blend:
Blending these aerial inspection inputs gives your vegetation model better accuracy, frequency, and cost-efficiency. And by combining this with AI, you can predict growth trends, not just capture current snapshots.
Field crews operate in remote, rugged terrain with limited signal. UVM software must offer robust mobile apps that:
Having the offline functionality and mobile app speeds up inspections, reduces manual data entry, and ensures no critical field data gets lost. Offline forms with GPS and voice notes will save you at least 2 hours per day, per crew.
Forward-thinking utilities are using AR to:
AR improves understanding for crews and speeds up decision-making in the field, especially in areas with complex terrain or vegetation density.
Gone are the days of manual planning based on spreadsheets or reports. The right UVM platform should:
Automated scheduling boosts responsiveness and ensures that the most critical areas get addressed first.
Dashboards aren’t just for reporting, they’re for action. UVM software should offer:
Make data useful to everyone, not just the compliance team. Having a real-time dynamic dashboard is super helpful for the field operations.
With increasing wildfire liability and NERC/PUC scrutiny, audit-readiness is non-negotiable.
The platform should:
Logging the inspection records and using digital forms backed with photos helps you stay compliant.
Your software shouldn’t create silos. Instead, it should:
Look for systems that offer data flexibility, not just a bloated system of features.
From environmental permits and contractor agreements to inspection photos and regulatory submissions, the volume of critical documentation during vegetation inspection grows fast. The right UVM platform should offer robust document management capabilities, including:
Centralized document management ensures everyone, from the back office to the field, is aligned, audit-ready, and operating with accurate information.
Read more: 10 best utility vegetation management software
Vegetation management is now a critical part of utility resilience, reliability, and reputation. Choosing the right software is a priority for safety, compliance, and cost-control. These features aren’t “nice to haves.” They’re what define modern UVM programs in 2025 and beyond.
If your current tool lacks more than 3 of these capabilities, it might be time to consider a better fit. KYRO offers utilities a modern, field-ready system designed to bring together GIS, mobile tools, remote sensing, and compliance reporting in one unified platform.
Whether you're managing thousands of miles of distribution lines or focused on high-risk wildfire zones, KYRO helps teams make smarter, faster, and safer decisions every day.
If you want to explore how KYRO or modern vegetation management looks like, schedule a personalized demo and see how KYRO can help your org.