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.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Jim signs the MoU.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

The tree-planting crew.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

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

Stacy rakes out compost.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

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

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jim and his young assistant

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Karl hauls some compost.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

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.