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.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

The tree-planting crew.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

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

Karl hauls some compost.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

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

Jim and his young assistant

Jim signs the MoU.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

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.