Stump Grinding vs. Stump Removal Services

After removing a tree from your property, there is still more work to be done. What you will have left is the stump and roots of the tree planted firmly into the ground. To fully eliminate any tree stump, there are two main methods: stump grinding and stump removal. Both methods address the stump and roots specifically, but vary in their technique. Depending on your budget and situation, one method might be a better choice than the other.

Getting Rid of Stumps

You might think that once the majority of a tree on your property is removed that most of the work is done. However, it can be tough to remove a tree stump, and it should not be underestimated. Leaving a stump in your yard or on your property might not seem like a big deal, but leaving a stump can have impacts on your yard and the surrounding environment. If you don’t remove a tree stump or its roots, surrounding plants and trees will feed off the roots and stump, accelerating their growth and depriving nutrients from other plants. This will ultimately cause smaller, surrounding plants to wither and die, affecting the overall health of the surrounding environment.

Safety

If you have children or pets running around your yard, leaving a stump can be a dangerous hazard for them to trip over or fall into. Leaving a stump on your property can also be hazardous to you if you mow the lawn. Even if you do your best to avoid the stump, there may be subtle roots poking out of the ground that can do damage to your mower. Additionally, if you do remove a tree stump there will be a gaping hole where the stump used to be, providing another hazard in your yard.

Pests

Having a dead or decaying stump in your yard or on your property will attract certain wood-eating or wood-destroying insects. These pests can then spread and transfer to other living trees in your yard, or even worse, your house or building itself. These insects can cause thousands of dollars in damage if not addressed properly and quickly.

Stump Grinding

One of the ways to remove a tree stump is to grind it down using a stump grinder. A stump grinder is a machine that grinds down your stump into sawdust. One of the advantages of a stump grinder is having control of the height of your stump. You can grind your stump down to surface level, or even below ground level to demolish the majority of the stump. Stump grinding doesn’t address the roots of a tree to decay on their own.

Additionally, you can rent a stump grinder and grind out the stump yourself. This will save you some money and allow you to do it at your leisure. Of course, you can call a tree removal company to remove a tree stump, but you will have to schedule an appointment and pay more for the professional service.

Stump Removal

Stump removal involves uprooting the tree stump with heavy machinery. Different tree removal companies may use different tools or equipment for this, depending on what they have at their disposal. If you pull up a tree stump by yanking it out of the ground, it requires a lot of force and preparation. Most likely, you won’t be able to rent the required machinery for this job on your own. You will likely need to schedule an appointment with a tree removal company to have this procedure done. Stump removal through this process has a bigger impact on the surrounding environment. Since force is used to remove the tree stump, it will leave a large hole on your property that will disrupt the surrounding plants as well.