information from Plant Amnesty

In celebration of Arbor Day, local arborists certified by Plant Amnesty took to the trees of The Arboretum at South Seattle College last week, providing some much needed expert pruning services.

“I am so happy that this work is getting done,” says Mark Pollock, Arboretum Coordinator. “The value of these services is somewhere between $12,000 and $15,000. It’s a tremendous gift to us and we are very thankful.”

Plant Amnesty describes itself as “a 1000-member mock-militant nonprofit organization whose mission is to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs caused by mal-pruning.” Established in 1987 by the late Cass Turnbull, the organization is devoted to educating the public about the proper way to care for trees and shrubs and to providing referrals to qualified arborists and landscape gardeners.

Every year in celebration of Arbor Day, Plant Amnesty arborists volunteer their time to prune trees for a good cause. This is the second year that they have chosen The Arboretum at South Seattle College for this benefit.

Arborists who donated their time this year were from the following companies:

• Apical Tree Services
• Fluent Tree
• Grün Tree Care
• Ira Ford Ecological Design
• Legendary Tree Services
• Major Tree
• Symbiosis Tree Care
• The Tree Stewards
• Thor Tree

The Arboretum at South Seattle College is a 5-acre botanical garden that serves as a laboratory and workshop for students in the College’s Landscape Horticulture Program. The garden is also a destination for local residents both as an outdoor classroom and as a soothing escape from the city. The Arboretum has one of the best conifer collections in the United States and is designated as a Reference Garden by the American Conifer Society.
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For more information:
The Arboretum at South Seattle College website - http://www.southseattle.edu/arboretum/
Plant Amnesty website - http://www.plantamnesty.org