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 and Tim talk trees.

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

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

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

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Jim and his young assistant

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Karl hauls some compost.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

The tree-planting crew.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Jim signs the MoU.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

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.