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.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jim and his young assistant

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

Karl hauls some compost.

Jim signs the MoU.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

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

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Tim fills out a treegram.

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

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

The tree-planting crew.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jackie shovels some compost.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

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.