One embodiment provides a method for storage management in a hierarchical file system. The method includes tracking directories for sub-file systems of the hierarchical set of file systems and maintaining a corresponding directory in a top-file system and a number of symbolic pointers in the corresponding directory which each point from the corresponding directory to a sub-file system where any portion of the tracked directory resides. If available space in a first sub-file system is below a threshold, the system identifies a second sub-file system with available space above the threshold, wherein the first sub-file system contains a first portion of the directory. If a second portion of the directory does not exist in the second sub-file system, the system creates the second portion of the directory in the second sub-file system and creates a link from the first portion of the directory to the second portion of the directory.