I was able to solve my problem by doing the following. I'm sure there is a much more elegant solution and I would love to see it....but if anyone else is facing something like this hopefully it helps:

#*********************************************************************
+**************
# protected _process_attributes
# *****************************
# Uses:     Recursively searches through a tree structure to process/f
+ind attributes
# Params:    HASH with device and interface attributes
# Return:    The updated command and result set after template process
+ing 
#*********************************************************************
+**************
sub _process_attributes{
    my $self       = shift;
    my $child_tree = shift;
    my $attributes = shift || {};
    
    my $attribute_values;
    foreach my $child (@$child_tree){
        my $attribute_key   = $child->{id};
        my @attribute_array = split('-',$attribute_key);
        my $key;
        my $current_key; my $next_key;    
        
        $attributes       = hash_maker($attributes,@attribute_array);
        
        if($child->{children}){
            $self->_process_attributes($child->{children},$attributes)
        }
        if($child->{leaf}){
            nested_keys($attributes,\@attribute_array,$child->{value})
+;
        }
        
    }
    
    return $attributes;
}

sub nested_keys{
    my $attributes = shift;
    my $attribute_array = shift;
    my $value = shift;
    
    foreach my $attr (@$attribute_array){
        
        foreach my $k (keys %$attributes){
            unless($k eq $attr){ next; }
            my $num_keys =  keys %{$attributes->{$k}};
            if(ref($attributes->{$k}) eq 'HASH' && $num_keys > 0){
                shift(@$attribute_array);
                nested_keys($attributes->{$k},\@$attribute_array,$valu
+e);        
            } else {
                $attributes->{$k} = $value;
                return;
            }
        }    
    }
    
}

sub hash_maker {
  
  my $ref = shift;
  my $key = shift;
  
  return undef unless ref $ref eq 'HASH';

  #
  # If $key is empty, we're building an empty hash. Return undef.
  #
  return undef unless $key;

  #
  # This is the passed in hash, so we need to duplicate it in our new
  # data structure. We also have to be sure that we're adding if neces
+sary.
  #
  if ( ref $key eq 'HASH' ) {
      my $hash;
      my $count = keys %$key;
      my $cnt = 1;
    foreach my $k ( keys %{$key} ) {
        $ref->{$k} = $key->{$k};
    }
    
    return $ref;
  }

  #
  # Reference was not a hashref, we don't know how to handle it.
  #
  return undef if ref $key;


  #
  # Nothing above was met, there's more to build.
  #
  $ref->{$key} = {} unless exists $ref->{$key};
  #shift(@_);    
  hash_maker( $ref->{$key}, @_ );

  #
  # Pass that which we hath groweth to those who groweth before us...
  #
  return $ref;

}
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