Soon after Hurricane Helen brought strong winds and even some small tornadoes to the Aiken, SC, area on September 27, 2024, I started documenting the impact on the local trees. As a former photojournalist, I knew I would photograph some of this aftermath in black & white. There was a graphic nature to the fallen trees, cut stumps and large piles of debris that was more impactful in black & white.

Even though, almost all of the large, roadside piles were cleaned up before the end of the year, remnants of the storm could be seen later into the spring and summer of 2025. And, those large piles needed to go somewhere to be mulched up. Local parks and unused fields around the county were put to use to store and then grind up all the fallen wood.