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.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

The tree-planting crew.

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

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

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

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

Jim signs the MoU.

Jim and his young assistant

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Karl hauls some compost.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking 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.