a reservoir attached to screw-on water spikes that deliver water (or liquid fertilizer) to the rooting zone instead of just surface watering. This is a fairly wet site which will not need watering once that sapling is established, but that cedar happened to be planted in the long drought last August and the watering system was added just to ensure survival in the first few weeks or months after transplanting. Stuff in the wheelbarrow is just for dumping on the corduroy stems, and then a top coating of wood chips will be added to the trail, which is in year-round use as a public footpath system on this municipal land. The tall grass behind is reed canary grass which gets there on its own.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=62806&cat=2,2280,54307,2,54307&ap=1