Unfortunately, branches do not "regrow" - if broken off, they will remain broken off. But it is possible that some lateral branching off of the existing branches could fill in the gaps.

A photo would be helpful, if for nothing else to see how much damage was done and how you might need to clean up after it.

a pic sure wouldnt hurt if you want pruning advice ...

most trees have dormant buds.. which can trigger.. when a branch or trunk is cut back ...

pines dont ... all new growth has to come from the buds on the tip of the branch... which leaves you with the only option of pruning back the bare stick branch.. if the tips were destroyed ...

it took me quite a few years.. to come to the understanding.. that every now and then.. mostly in winter.. ma nature feels free to redesign some of my plants ... conifers ... prune out the damage.. and enjoy watching the tree regrow in a new form ...

ken

ps: think of it this way.. if you cut a maple down to the ground .... in a few months.. you will have multiple new trunks .... if you do the same with pine ... its basically dead.. you dont even need stump killer ...

People like to say conifers don't re-grow branches once they are cut off. It's not entirely true.

Every tree, even conifers, have latent buds at every node. In some plants, these buds will break their dormancy with very little reason. In others, it takes quite a bit more.

And I don;t think stuart thinks the plant will regrow the same branch...he's asked enough questions and been around enough to know that while A branch may regrow, it's not the SAME branch.

Will a branch regrow? No idea. Is it a lost cause, as ken alludes above? Not entirely. How likely is it? You'd have to see the plant in place to guess.

A plant doesn't know the difference between pruning and loss due to storm. The plant will respond as it's "programmed" to...there will be some hormones produced that may cause new growth. If there's enough light, there's a chance.

This is the simplified version. If you want to know the chemistry of plant induced growth response to pruning, that's a college course.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but isn't a Pinus thunbergiana in the eastern US on borrowed time, anyhow? Due to disease problems?

Sorry to be a wet blanket <<=== wet snow blanket .. lol ...

yep.. mine died at around 10 years or so ... i was told to be retentive about cleaning it out .... i didnt.. it died .... if it cant take care of itself .... so be it ... i had to take of of the kids ... not my trees .. they are not children ...

ken

My thunderhead broke off some of the top branches as well from the recent snow storms. The top looks very flat now and ugly.. sigh we eastern coasters are plagued with the worst weather conditions aren't we

About the nematode on the pines, I heard you can give it some kind of injection to prolong its longevity. I have these pines grown from seed, maybe an ungrafted one has a better chance of living longer?

Every tree, even conifers, have latent buds at every node

This is false, hence the published directions about the limitations and parameters of each kind of tree and shrub - the need for pruning guidebooks and web pages. If you could prune everything the same, because it all had live buds that were just raring to go, all over the entire top of the plant there would be no need for such productions.

Specific comparative examples, within the realm of conifers - yews and coast redwoods can even be cut to the ground and are able to grow back. Yet if you cut your arborvitae or cypress hedge back into the bare branches inside the outer shell of existing foliage little, if any response is to be expected. Certainly not enough of one for the same branches to replace the foliage that was cut off anytime soon, if ever.

As stated previously if the gaps in the pine asked about are going to disappear it is going to be due primarily, if not exclusively to remaining branches around them growing across the new spaces - from the sides.

A process that is going to take years.

I have a had many pines produce new buds around the edge of a removed/broken limb especially if that area receives enough sun light. I have even had every single bud devoured by deer on several different species of pines during the winter with no buds left to push in spring. I thought about pulling these bare sticks out thinking there was no hope with no visible buds but to my surprise they eventually ended up popping out new buds.

Yeah, Thunderhead hates the weight of snow. I removed half of my Thunderhead branches yesterday. It had many splayed and bent to the ground branches from the last snow. Still looks like a great tree and they can fill in spaces fast with the coverage of those long needles. Open spaces can look good too.

As Ken mentioned, Interior needle removal is a must or you'll end up with a soggy, moldy, dead tree. Though this doesn't apply to you Stuart, as I remember you keep your tree heavily pruned. I remove masses of collected dead needles from the interior every year. I have only recently, the past two years, been pruning and thinning out a few branches here and there to increase air circulation. like Sarah mentioned this cultivar can benefit from a good pruning.

Davidrt -- yes. I love their rugged forms, but they won't last. Pine-wilt nematode will get them sooner or later.

Sad news. Enjoy them while you got them. When they go it’s an exciting time to plant something new.