How to Replant Storm-Damaged Woods
A homeowner's guide for the Southeast: what to do after a hurricane, tornado or windstorm takes down trees, which native trees to replant where, how many seedlings you need, and when to plant them.
The short answer
- Safety and paperwork first: hanging limbs and leaning trees are dangerous, and insurance or aid programs need photos.
- Replant with native seedlings in layers: oaks, tulip tree and sweetgum in the sunny center of the gap, red maple toward the shadier edges, a pine or two for winter cover.
- Plant about 8–12 ft apart: roughly 6 seedlings for a 20×30 ft gap, 12 for a 30×40 ft gap.
- Plant while dormant: late fall through early spring. In Georgia that is roughly November through February.
- Protect from deer and water the first summer. Browse and drought are the two biggest reasons replanted seedlings fail.
Woods or thicket in twenty years
Left alone, a storm gap in Southeastern woods usually fills fast, but often with brambles, vines and invasive shrubs such as Chinese privet rather than the oaks and hickories that were there before. Sweetgum and pine seed in readily; the slow, valuable canopy trees often don't get a chance.
Replanting a gap with native seedlings, in the right places, tips the odds back toward woods. It's a decade-long project, but the work is mostly in the first two years.
From storm day to replanted woods
- Stay safe. Let utility crews handle downed lines. Hanging limbs ("widowmakers") and leaning or half-uprooted trees need a certified arborist, not a weekend chainsaw.
- Document the damage. Photograph every downed and damaged tree with notes on species and location before cleanup. Insurance claims and cost-share programs ask for it.
- Get a forester's eye on the timber. Downed pine and hardwood lose value fast, and storm-stressed pines attract bark beetles. A Georgia Forestry Commission forester or consulting forester can advise on salvage.
- Wait one growing season if you can. See what resprouts from stumps and what seeds in on its own. Plant into the gaps that stay open.
- Clear planting pockets. A seedling won't out-race an established bramble. Clear a small circle for each seedling, and pull invasives before you plant.
- Plant in layers, by light. Use the placement table below. Scatter seedlings into the ragged edges too; that's where woods knit back together.
- Flag, protect and water. Mark every seedling so you can find it in the leaf litter, add tree guards where deer browse, and water through dry spells in the first summer.
- Keep competition down for two years. A weed-free circle around each seedling. No fertilizer. Roots first.
Native trees for Southeastern storm gaps
A storm gap isn't a blank field. It has a sunny middle, shaded edges and a light pattern that changes through the day. That light should decide where each seedling goes.
| Where in the gap | Plant | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sunny center | White oak, tulip tree, sweetgum | Sun-loving canopy builders. Oaks are the most valuable tree you can put back for wildlife, tulip tree is the fastest way to get height back, and sweetgum holds ground while slower trees catch up. |
| Edges and part shade | Red maple | Fast, adaptable and more shade-tolerant, so it closes gaps along the ragged edge. |
| Open, sunny spots | Loblolly pine | The evergreen: structure and screening all winter. |
| Sunny edges and paths | Redbud, serviceberry, witch hazel | Flowering understory that blooms hardest with part sun. |
| Under surviving canopy | Dogwood (dappled light), spicebush (tolerates full shade) | The understory layer that thrives beneath taller trees. |
Seedlings needed by gap size
Space canopy seedlings about 8–12 feet apart, or roughly one seedling per 100 square feet. Closer spacing gives you room for losses and a denser young stand; the strongest trees will sort themselves out over time.
| Gap size | Area | Seedlings | Good fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| One or two fallen trees (about 20×30 ft) | 600 sq ft | 6 | Forest Restock Box, 6 seedlings ($69) |
| A small gap (about 30×40 ft) | 1,200 sq ft | 12 | Forest Restock Box, 12 seedlings ($119) |
| A larger opening (about 50×50 ft) | 2,500 sq ft | 24–25 | Start-a-Woods Grove Kit, 24 seedlings ($329) |
| A tenth of an acre | 4,356 sq ft | About 44 | Combine kits, or contact us |
| A quarter acre | 10,890 sq ft | About 110 | Consider cost-share help (below) |
Prices as of September 2026. Our woodland seedlings are wild-grown native seedlings hand-dug from our sanctuary woods in Georgia and potted on for a strong first year; the exact species mix varies with what the woods produced that season, and every seedling is labeled.
Plant dormant seedlings from late fall through early spring, roughly November through February in most of Georgia. A dormant seedling puts its energy into roots before it has to support leaves.
They will look dead all winter: bare twigs, no leaves. Scratch a twig gently with a thumbnail; green underneath means alive. In spring, newly planted seedlings often leaf out weeks later than established trees nearby. Don't give up in April.
Cost-share and local advice
For larger losses, public programs may help cover replanting. Programs change, so check current eligibility:
- USDA Farm Service Agency, Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP): for private forest land damaged by natural disasters.
- USDA NRCS, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): tree planting and forest stand improvement on qualifying land.
- Georgia Forestry Commission: county foresters, storm-damage guidance and seedling programs.
- UGA Extension: county agents for species, pests and planting questions.