Berkeley County officials are working to increase the number of trees in the county.

A 2009 assessment by the U.S. Forest Service rated Berkeley and Jefferson counties among the “highest priority” counties in the nation that need more trees.

The Berkeley County Council plans to apply for a Chesapeake Bay Community Grant. The grant money would be used to plant trees and to develop a long-term goal for the county’s “urban tree canopy.”

A tree canopy is the layer of leaves, branches and stems that cover the ground when viewed from above.