PlantAmnesty

Founder Cass Turnbull 1951-2017Mission

PlantAmnesty, established in 1987 by Cass Turnbull, is a 850-member nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide education, resources, and advocacy to prevent malpruning and preserve urban greenspaces. 

Executive Director 
Kristin Jackson
2023-PresentDescription

We have a sense of humor and a mission. We alert the public to crimes against plants through social media, a presence at community gatherings, and partnerships with regional horticultural gardens and educational programs. After raising awareness of pressing issues, we provide a myriad of educational support: a public referral service of skilled gardeners and arborists, classes and workshops, instructional YouTube videos, and how-to literature on selective pruning in English and Spanish.  We host volunteer pruning events for needy and deserving trees and gardens, including the Arbor Day Tree Prune & Volunteer Yard Renovations. Several landscaping businesses in the Seattle area have been sending their employees through our pruning training program for decades. 

Originating 35 years ago with a campaign to end tree topping, we have since expanded to address how the urban forest is inadvertently lost due to neglect and mismanagement by individuals, green professionals, and municipalities. Trees are an integral part of combating the impacts of urbanization and climate change; they are worth protection and reverence. 

PlantAmnesty has distilled our mission into the following list of overarching goals and ethics. We are committed to raising awareness of mal-pruning, the importance of urban greenspaces, providing educational resources to accompany our awareness raising efforts, and to continue informing the public on the importance of plants and their role in fighting climate change.
Overarching Goals
•      Raise awareness of the importance of proper pruning and preserving urban greenspaces.
•      Provide the public and green industry professionals tools, education, and solutions (referral service, education, volunteer pruning and care).
•      Instill the importance of plants in the public, especially their essential role in fighting climate change.

Read the 2025 Annual Report here

2026 Goals

We are hunkering down and establishing deep roots to keep PlantAmnesty healthy and able to weather the storms of the next 100 years. We know what we do best and we know it fills a need for urban homeowners and landscape professionals. Priorities move now to preserving those programs and creating opportunities to contribute to a larger and more diverse community. 

Your support is essential to continuing our work, which also includes pushing for tree protections - time to talk to policy makers about Heritage Trees, the 2025 Executive Order to establish conservation easements, and developing resources to help homeowners and professionals navigate a complex tree code that significantly reduces barriers for tree removal by property developers.

We all know the undeniable health and public benefits of big trees and urban greenspaces. Your support goes to the programs that directly improve the longevity, access, and maintenance of those spaces. We need your help to develop a root system that is resilient, tough, and strong enough to survive uncertain times. 

Other Ways to Support

Become a Member

Buy the Book

Volunteer at an Event

Attend a Class or Workshop

The Master Pruning Program is the cornerstone of our organization where scientifically accurate education is of the utmost importance. To graduate from the program, a student must complete twelve 2-hour classes and three in-person workshops. These classes are also offered as stand-alone as not part of the Master Pruning Program so anyone can join!

PlantAmnesty offers many classes including our core ten: 

•      Tree Pruning I, II, and III 
•      Shrubs I, II, and III
•      Fruit Trees
•      Pruning Art or Pruning Horror?
•      Pruning and Renovating the Overgrown Garden
•      Corrective Pruning
•      An additional 3 specialty classes from our offering can be selected for a total of twelve classes.

We need your support this year to support our vast programming benefitting the diverse Seattle community. Without your generous support we could not afford to spread our love of plant care, the classroom fees and rent, and most importantly we would not be able to see your smiling face at events. Give big. Give small. Every donation helps PlantAmnesty!

The PlantAmnesty community after your donation!