Roughly one dozen volunteers turned out today for the tree-planting event on N. Maple street.

Representatives from the Office of Neighborhood Services and Spokane Urban Forestry were there to lend a hand, and Nancy MacKerrow of The Susie Forest attended with cookies and “treegrams” to allow the planters’ wishes to flourish along with the trees.

Jim signs the MoU.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Tim fills out a treegram.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Karl hauls some compost.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Angel of Spokane Urban Forestry and Nancy MacKerrow of the Susie Forest.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Jim and his young assistant

The tree-planting crew.

Jim, Bert and Tim figure out who’s next on shovel duty.

This marks the first important step in dealing with this stretch of property on N. Maple. The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council hopes to work with the city to install stormwater improvements, sidewalks and more plantings in the relatively near future.