Plant Amnesty Programs
Three important ways PlantAmnesty fulfills its mission and accomplishes its goals are:
Heritage Tree Program
PlantAmnesty initiated the Seattle Heritage Tree Program in partnership with the City of Seattle. The first Seattle Heritage Tree was recognized in 1996 and now there are many, many more. Heritage trees may be on either city or private property. Each candidate tree is evaluated by a review committee consisting of arborists from PlantAmnesty and the City of Seattle. Each Heritage Tree is identified by a plaque and the owners receive an owner's tree care manual. A few owners have even chosen to place a deed restriction on their property to provide for future tree protection.
Inexpensive Year
Round Pruning/Landscape Maintenance Classes--PlantAmnesty offers inexpensive topic-specific pruning and landscape techniques to home gardeners, landscape professionals, and horticulture students in this series of in-depth classes and workshops. Students, Spanish speakers, and PlantAmnesty members pay reduced fees. Those who complete the entire set of classes and workshops receive certification as PlantAmnesty Master Pruners.
Adopt-a-Plant
Why clog the landfills with unwanted plants when they can be recycled through
PlantAmnesty’s online Adopt-a-Plant Program? Anyone can get a plant they want adopted on the list. In 2010 we administered over 250 plant adoption listings, most of which offered multiple plants.
Learn more about our programs and services at the
PlantAmnesty website.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Recent Success
PlantAmnesty has supported efforts to protect and defend trees with adequate legislation and funding. We are celebrating the recent passage of the Seattle street tree ordinance--25 years in the making.
Current Need
For three years now, the Tree Canopy Coalition (T2C2), an ad-hoc committee of PlantAmnesty, has presented the annual Urban Forestry Symposium, an all day event at the Center for Urban Horticulture. This event is a low-cost outreach to the green industry and nonprofit organizations, bringing together highly regarded people from a variety of fields that affect urban trees, including ecologists, arborists, landscape architects, landscape designers, city planners, builders, and utility planners. The symposium includes a keynote speaker and informative sessions covering topics ranging from foundational values to technical solutions and political strategies. This year’s event delved into the conflict between view seekers and tree lovers.