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Effects of seed-drilling or transplanting and harvesting frequency on forage yield and subsequent sward structure of newly established native warm-season forage grass stands were assessed at Virginia State University's research farm. First harvest-year forage yields and subsequent, stand ground cover, sward heights, and canopy closure were compared. Six-week old seedlings of Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Tripsacum dactyloides (eastern gamagrass), Sorghastrum nutans (indiangrass) and Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), were transplanted onto smoothly-disked clean 6 x 7 m plots in June, at 30 and 45 cm plant spacing, within and between rows, respectively. For comparison, similar plots of each species were seeded at ? 2 cm deep, in late July. As needed, tall-growing broadleaf weeds were chopped down but fertilizers were not applied. Plants were allowed uninterrupted growth, during the planting year, and dead standing biomass mowed down early in the succeeding spring. During the second year of establishment, 1.5 m strips were harvested one, two, or three times and respective subsequent sward measurements recorded in the following year. Data were analyzed for effects of planting method, harvest frequency, and species as a randomized complete block design. On air-dry basis, year total yields were consistently greater for transplanted than seeded plots, being about 25,000, 21,000, 14,000, and 11,000 kg DM/ha for switchgrass, indiangrass, big bluestem, and gamagrass, respectively. Subsequent sward heights and canopy light interception greater for strips harvested once > twice > three times. Data indicate that transplanting will mostly result with better yielding stands and that intensive harvesting may compromise recovery and subsequent performance of newly established stands. More data is needed on combined effects of harvest intensity and fertilizer application on subsequent stand performance.