According to Genesis, the dove returned to Noah with a freshly plucked olive leaf.
Genesis 8:11 says the dove came back in the evening carrying an olive leaf in its beak. Noah understood this as evidence that the waters had receded from the earth. The following passage records another flight, after which the dove did not return, indicating that the land was becoming accessible.
The olive leaf became a widely recognized symbol of peace, reconciliation, and hope. Its association with the Ark story is especially strong in art, literature, and later political symbolism. The biblical text itself presents it first as a practical sign of returning vegetation.
The passage does not say that the dove brought an entire branch or that it found a fully restored forest. It specifically describes a freshly plucked leaf, making that wording the safest answer to the question.