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.

Jim signs the MoU.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

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

Jackie shovels some compost.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Karl hauls some compost.

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

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

The tree-planting crew.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Jim and his young assistant

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Stacy rakes out 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.