Stump Grinding

How to Get Rid of a Tree Stump

Depending on the size of the stump, digging it out can take anywhere from a day or more to well over a week and make quite a mess.

Although it still takes time, using a stump grinder for stump removal is often the best choice.

The tree is first brought down with a bottom cut as close as possible to the ground in order to minimize the work for the stump grinder (6"-10").

The stump grinder's business end, is a heavy vertical disk with multiple teeth on it designed to stand up to high impact (like a very thick saw blade with gouging blades for chipping rather than fine blades for cutting). The stump grinder spins at high speed while oscillating from side-to-side across the stump, removing a layer of tree stump on each pass. As the grinding continues, the stump grinder is moved further into the tree until it is completely through.

Normally, stumps are ground to well below the grade (8"-16") where they are over-planted with grass.

Once the stump is ground, all that remains is a pile of tiny chips. If you pay someone to grind a stump, make sure that removal of the chips is included in the quote.

Once the chips from the stump grinding have been removed, the surrounding grounds are leveled and new grass replanted. If this is done early in the year, the new yard can be fully green by the end of the year.