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.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

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

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

The tree-planting crew.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Karl hauls some compost.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

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

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Jim signs the MoU.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Jim and his young assistant

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.