well ... i never lived in GA.. but arent you a little early ... up here.. oak are one of the last to leaf out ... and all you can exercise is patience .... you have scratched once.. good enough ... no matter how many times you want to check .... i would hesitate to keep doing it repeatedly .... leaf out is a function of soil temps.. at root depth .. not air temps... so even if it has been warmish for you .... if you bury your head 3 or 4 feet into the ground [and dont forget your mulch is keeping the soil cool longer] .. you will find.. most likely.. little or no soil warming to trigger root growth.. which will trigger leaf out ... i think the plant needs to start pumping water up into the tree ... to start plumping the buds to expand and break .... i dont know if that is science.. or just my way of thinking about it all ... i am not impressed with small branches being dead ... perhaps they were sacrificed due to the transplanting of incredibly large specimens .... regardless .. what will be.. will be .. and all you have ... right now .. is time to wait to see what the result is ... it is also not uncommon up here in z5 .. for last years transplants to delay leaf out even longer .... simply based on the transplant .... i dont see why that would be different for you ... maybe dan knows .... good luck ken PS: shade will increase the amount of time it takes .. for the soil to warm ... so expect those trees to be behind the curve ... pps: my bigger worry.. up here in the great frozen north.. more than initial bud break.. would be a heavy frost or freeze after the leaves appear .... if there was loss of the first set of leaves.. on a tree with basically no roots [comparatively speaking] .. there just might not be the reserve of stored energy to releaf ... and then you will have problems .... but right now .... your only problem .. is PROBABLY .. your anxiety ...

It was more than likely a branch that broke off high up in the tree during the storm but got caught and jammed up in the other branches and finely slid off the healthy undamaged branches that were holding it up there on that calm day. You can step far back and look up in the canopy of the tree for any more branches that might be caught up there but if there are none I would not worry about it (If you are really worried you could get someone with a bucket truck to inspect up in the tree for any dead hanging or cracked branches). Topping is the last think you would want for a tree it can lead to many future problems for a tree. Some species of trees cannot even sprout back limbs if they are topped which will kill it and the ones that do will shoot tons of tiny weak twig shoots that break off in the wind as they get larger. It made me sick that a local very large and old Water Oak tree I aways liked very much which even had a engraved stone by it in place for it's historical value and was topped by a tree service company in early spring (Right after they topped it I knew it would soon die because it was a old water oak and the 2nd or 3 water Oak I've seen die after a topping) it finely died this summer. Many tree service people don't know what topping leads to or they just don't care one bit if a tree dies they just want money.

Hi, Julstexas, Figs are great trees and have wonderful fruit (I have many varieties), but the wood of figs is notoriously weak and prone to splitting. Fortunately, your tree probably has a very good root system, and properly cared for, will rejuvenate strongly from the roots. What I would do, if I was you, assuming that the trunks are not large enough to do damage to your house, should they fall, is to allow the trunks to remain through the summer months. Any parts of the tree that still maintain a connection with the roots will continue to grow and help maintain the root system until the winter months when the tree is dormant. The parts of the tree that are separated from the root system will die. When you are sure that the limbs are dead (scratch the bark and look for green underneath), then you can trim the limbs back. Early next spring, a couple of weeks prior to when the fig would leaf out, cut the tree back to your satisfaction. The tree will probably sucker out prolifically from the roots. Let the shoots grow and after a year or so choose the strongest and most symettrical 7 trunks or so. Make sure that the fig has plenty of sun by trimming back any branches that shade the fig. Moderately fertilize the tree next spring. Good luck!

The rot most often starts at the bottom and move up. I believe that the tissue does not brown with age. Take plant out of the pot and inspect the roots. If rotten or dry, cut them off. Healthy trunk will grow new roots. Trunk should be checked for rot; tissue should be light colored without any brown/dark spots or rings. If you suspect rot in branches, check them all by slicing ( - clean the knife/scalpel/blade with alcohol between cuts - ) as you already did until you find healthy tissue. I think that rooting hormone contains some fungicide, but you can dust with cinnamon (I used it on large cuts). I am not convinced that rooting hormone will help growing new roots... Grafting will likely not work...someone here tried but I am not sure if it was real success. See a post by very good grower hanzrobo - click here (there are more posts on same subject). Healthy trunk will grow new leaves and branches. I would not remove any healthy leaves, they actually help plant grow.