Tree Stump Removal & Tree Stump Grinding
Stumps, they seem trivial in comparison to the trees that they once supported. As a landowner it’s a fair bet that any stump is a remnant of “nature’s changing course untrimmed,” an emergency tree removal based scenario or purposefully removed. The result is that eye-sore of a remaining tree stump. Stump removal regardless if it’s by stump grinding or physically removing the stump from the earth may seem unnecessary but can potentially create what can become exponentially more expensive damages to your home.
Stump Removal vs Stump Grinding
Once you cut down a dead tree, you have two options: removal or grinding. There are pros and cons to both removal and grinding, which will help you decide on your course of action. You do not want to take too long after cutting down your tree to follow through with the next step. A stump left to rot and decay is a magnet for damaging critters such as termites and carpenter ants that can make their way to your home. The chopped down tree is an eyesore in your yard, as well.
Stump Grinding
When a stump is grinded rather than removed, a grinder is used to shred the stump into small woodchips. Stump grinding leaves the roots of the tree behind, which can be anywhere from four to twelve feet around the stump. The tree’s residual root system can make planting within that radius extremely difficult as well as allowing new plantings to thrive.
Stump Removal
Stump removal is the process of digging out the decaying stump and all its roots, leaving the surrounding yard completely flat, beautiful, and ready for replanting. After the stump is removed, there will be a hole where the roots and stump were uprooted which needs to be filled. This process is more time consuming than grinding, therefore more expensive, but once completed, it is very aesthetically pleasing.
Burning The Stump Out
A stump removal method that we neither recommend nor provide is burning out the stump. This method is neither environmentally friendly, quick, practical, or even safe. This process requires a fire be built around the entire stump and then maintaining that fire for extended periods of time until the stump has burnt itself to ashes. This poses a high risk of starting an underground fire that can spread into structures or to other root systems, which can in turn ignite neighboring buildings and even create forest fires. For these reasons and more we do not offer this method.
Why Should Tree Stumps Be Removed?
Timely tree stump removal is recommended for an array of reasons some of which may have been the catalyst for the removal of the tree to begin with. The most critical reason to remove tree stumps is to avoid termite infestations. Termites feed on dead dry wood that they can enter through that wood touching soil. The colony will thrive and grow in that stump until it needs more food, and when they go looking for food your home will be their next best option. At the end of the day removing that stump is always going to be exponentially less than any termite damage to your home.
Preserving the viability of your home is enough reason to remove a stump but if you aren’t convinced there are several other reasons to consider. If your stump is the result of a tree removal then it’s likely that both the stump and the root system remain living and will start sprouting new tree shoots, which if left alone will eventually grow back into a tree again. Dead stumps invite disease, which can proliferate through the root system and cause damage to surrounding trees and plantings. Aesthetically that dead rotting eye sore of a stump does not compliment your home’s curb appeal while also creating a potential tripping hazard.
Tree Removal & Stump Grinding Quotes
Stump grinding in our professional opinion is the most affordable and environmentally sound solution for stump removal. We provide both stump extraction or stump grinding depending on your personal preference, however the overall deciding factor to stump removal vs grinding depends on your intentions for the area the stump was stood. If you plan to excavate the area stump removal the better choice. Otherwise stump grinding is going to be the most practical and affordable option to remove that stump.
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