Stump grinding and stump removal both come with their pros and cons. Choosing which route’s best for you mostly depends on the future plans you have for your landscape.
The stump removal process is the more intrusive of the two. It involves heaving up the bulky tree stump and then digging out all the tree’s widespread roots. As you can imagine, it takes a lot of time, elbow grease, and powerful tools to get the job done. The upside? After stump removal, you’re left with a clean slate open to any new ideas you have for your landscape. What’s not so great is that stump removal leaves behind a large hole that can be an eyesore until it’s filled in. Filling with top soil and turf is the best solution, but of course this can take a while to settle and grow.
Stump grinding is much less intensive. In this case, we use a specialist machine to completely shred the stump down into small woodchips. Grinding is much more efficient than stump removal, however, it does leave the tree’s roots behind. If the stump is large, the chip pile produced can also be quite large, but the chips can be used as mulch for other plants in your landscape, ideal for keeping weeds out and moisture in. A number of trees when chipped are unsuitable for garden use but our team will always advise you of the suitability of your wood chippings and are of course happy to take them away to recycle if they are of no use. Leaving an immaculate site following any work we carry out is part of our guarantee.
WHAT HAPPENS TO ROOTS AFTER GRINDING?
While stump grinding takes care of the visible remains of the tree, the old tree’s roots are still spread out underground, sometimes 4, 8 or 12 feet beyond where the stump stood. After grinding, these roots will naturally decay, but it can be quite a lengthy process (It can take 10-plus years for the roots to fully break down).
"I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THE TREE STUMP FOLLOWING TREE REMOVAL"
Following a tree removal, it's entirely your choice how we leave the stump. Not all customers choose to remove the, tree stumps can either be left to decay naturally, or remain to form an attractive garden feature, overgrown with roses or flowers perhaps. If this is your preference, we can cut down stumps to a suitable height so they do not form a trip hazard.
GET IN TOUCH If you are not sure whether stump removal or grinding is best for you, get in touch. Our expert team can help explain the process and provide a free, no obligation quote. TC Tree Services have many years of experience providing tree stump removal services throughout the North East & Scotland, and can carry out the work to the highest professional standard using the very best equipment for the job.
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