Photo by Beau Finley.

If you feel like you’ve been seeing a lot more green in D.C. as of late—especially near schools—it’s not your imagination. By mid-December, Casey Trees—a non-profit agency that protects and enhances the city’s tree canopy—will have planted 560 trees throughout the city this fall. And by the end of the year, Casey Trees says they will have planted more than 1,279 trees in D.C. in 2014.

It’s all part of the non-profit’s Community Tree Planting program, which aims to boost D.C.’s tree canopy from 35 to 40 percent by 2032. Casey Trees plans to plant nearly 50 trees at the former Gage-Eckington Elementary School campus on October 25, which, in a release, they say will “add shade, mitigate stormwater runoff — a significant problem in the LeDroit and Bloomingdale neighborhoods — and beautify the park for families and dog owners.” In August, Casey Trees worked with incoming Howard University students to prep the site for planting; adding fresh mulch and other bio-solids.

Additionally, a host of other school campuses in the city will get a much-needed tree injection: Neval Thomas Elementary School; Whittier Education Campus; Paul PSC; Payne Elementary School; J.O. Wilson Elementary School; and Yu Ying Public Charter School. The funding for the trees is coming from the Sustainable D.C. Budget Challenge Grant.

“School grounds collectively have 16 percent canopy but 34 percent plantable space making them sites rich in opportunity to add trees,” Dr. Jessica Sanders, Casey Trees’ Director of Technical Services and Research, said in a release. “By planting trees on and surrounding school grounds, we are creating shaded recreation spaces, outdoor learning opportunities, and fostering environmental stewardship.”