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.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Jim and his young assistant

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Karl hauls some compost.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

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

Jim signs the MoU.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Jackie shovels some compost.

The tree-planting crew.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

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

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

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.