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.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

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

Jim signs the MoU.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Jim and his young assistant

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

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

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

The tree-planting crew.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Karl hauls some compost.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

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.