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.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Jim and his young assistant

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Jim signs the MoU.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

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

Karl hauls some compost.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

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

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Stacy rakes out compost.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

The tree-planting crew.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading 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.