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 digs in to the pile of compost.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

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

The tree-planting crew.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Jim signs the MoU.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

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

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Jim and his young assistant

Karl hauls some compost.

Tim fills out a treegram.

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.