Stump Grinding

Stump grinding is the act of using a stump grinder to cut the remaining part of the tree into tiny pieces.  This is the preferred approach and has several advantages over all of the various stump removal methods.  It’s fast, less labor intensive than digging and much less expensive.  It won’t create a large hole to fill in and requires no burning or chemicals that can leave chemical residues in soil.  The wood chips from the stump can be used to mulch flowerbeds.

Stump Removal

This is a challenging task which involves not just eliminating the stump at ground level, but also removing the root ball beneath the earth.  Physically removing a stump requires a lot of digging and chopping roots.  Depending upon the size and age of the stump, it may require a 4-wheel drive truck or similar vehicle to jerk the stump out of the ground.  After the stump is out, a large hole will be left to fill and the stump will be cut up into pieces small enough to handle and haul away.  This approach is very costly due to the intensive labor involved.

Other Methods

Burning:  This method requires application of chemicals and isn’t the safest method, especially if the stump is close to buildings or other flammable material.  A stump will smolder for hours and must be watched until it burns out.

Chemical:  This method takes weeks to break down the stump and it must be kept covered so that children and animals do not come in contact with the chemicals.  The stump will gradually break down to the point where it can easily be broken apart into small pieces, but typically some portion will remain and require burning.  After the stump is gone, traces of toxic chemicals will remain in the surrounding soil.

Decomposition:  The rotting method can take a tree stump up to 10 years or longer to fully remove the stump, and during the process it could become a harbor for insects.