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.

Stacy rakes out compost.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

The tree-planting crew.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

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

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

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

Jim and his young assistant

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Karl hauls some compost.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Jim signs the MoU.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

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.