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.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

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

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

The tree-planting crew.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Karl hauls some compost.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Jim and his young assistant

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

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

Jim signs the MoU.

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.