Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated the Augusta area and stripped thousands of trees from yards, streets and parks, residents now have a new resource to help restore the region’s tree canopy. The Grow Back Project, a collaboration between the University of Georgia, the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area and regional partners, has launched an interactive website that provides residents with tree recommendations and planting guidance specific to their zip code.

Hurricane Helene struck the region as a Category 4 storm in September 2024, devastating the area’s urban and residential tree canopy. For many homeowners, the loss went beyond property damage; shaded yards, windbreaks and neighborhood character disappeared overnight. The tasks of navigating tree ordinances, insurance and basic replanting guidance could be overwhelming. The Community Foundation for the CSRA recognized that long-term recovery would require not only emergency relief but also a sustained, trustworthy resource to help residents rebuild what was lost.

In the summer of 2025, the Community Foundation for the CSRA turned to UGA for help to build that resource. With support from Georgia Power, the Grow Back Project brought together experts and students from across the university to create a practical, community-driven tool for reforesting the Greater Augusta region.

When the project was under development earlier this year, Shell Berry, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for the CSRA, said the partnership was creating something specifically for the community.

“This is a tremendous tool, and people will be so excited to use it, especially knowing UGA faculty and students built it just for them,” Berry said.

At the center of the Grow Back Project is a custom, interactive website where residents can identify the best trees to replant on their property and learn how to strengthen their landscape against future storms. Visitors can enter their zip code to receive tree recommendations suited to their area and access step-by-step planting and care guidance developed by horticultural and forestry experts from UGA and Clemson University.

The site also features an augmented reality tool, developed by UGA undergraduates, that lets homeowners use their phone camera to see virtual trees placed directly in their own yard before they ever put a shovel in the ground.

While developing the tool earlier this year, the students said working for an actual community changed how they approached the assignment.

“I felt a sense of responsibility beyond the coursework to have empathy for the user and how they’re going to navigate through it,” said Amaya Powell, a UGA psychology major and co-designer on the student team. “People are using this project to rebuild. It was important to make something that connects with them.”

The site is available at thegrowbackproject.org.

The Grow Back Project reflects UGA’s land- and sea-grant mission of teaching, research and service and draws on expertise from across the university:

• Archway Partnership, which connects communities with UGA resources, brought partners together and helped initiate and manage the project.
• The Carl Vinson Institute of Government developed the Grow Back Project creative vision, including logo and branding, and played an integral role in developing the website as well as the backend technology supporting it.
• The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences provided horticultural expertise and tree species selection, care and planting guides.
• The College of Environment and Design designed renderings of various trees in landscapes and conducted research on benefit of restoring tree canopy.
• Undergraduate certificate students in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication’s New Media Institute designed and built the site’s augmented reality tool.
• In addition, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and Clemson Cooperative Extension agents added to the tree species selection and planting guides and will support on-the-ground community outreach.

The Grow Back Project is supported by Georgia Power with additional support from Dominion Energy. Kerry Bridges, Georgia Power regional executive for the Augusta area, finds the value of the project in the long-term benefits to the region.

“My hope is, in a decade, that we can look back and say that by working collaboratively with great partners we sustainably and responsibly restored the tree canopy in the Augusta region by replanting important evergreen and hardwoods trees,” Bridges said. “By seeding beauty for the spring and fall and improving the resiliency of the region’s tree cover, the Grow Back Project will pay dividends in the CSRA for generations to come.”