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.

Linda spreads some compost around a tree.

Jim and Tim talk trees.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

Angel and Stacy catch up.

Jackie shovels some compost.

Jigmed wheels some mulch to where it’s needed.

Loni is having a lot of fun spreading compost.

Loni and Karl tend to a tree.

Karl hauls some compost.

Melissa scoops mulch into the wheelbarrow.

A treegram hangs from one of the branches.

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

Bryce fills a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Jim signs the MoU.

Tim fills out a treegram.

Bryce digs in to the pile of compost.

Volunteers of all ages came to help.

Bryce and Alicia fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Stacy rakes out compost.

The line of new trees next to N. Maple.

Jackie fills out a treegram.

Jim and his young assistant

Andy and Bert deal with the shrinking pile of compost.

Tim and Bryce fill a wheelbarrow with mulch.

Andy of Spokane Urban Forestry gives some tips and instructions.

Loni rakes some compost around a tree.

The tree-planting crew.

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

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.