Stump grinding occurs when a professional arborist uses a machine to grind a stump down to sawdust and wood chips. This makes the area more attractive and, more importantly, removes a trip and fall hazard from your property. Stump removal, also called stump evacuation, removes the stump as well as the roots beneath it. Both methods have their benefits and drawbacks.
Pros of Stump Grinding
It’s always best to have a stump removed from your yard. Besides being a hazard, a stump is unsightly and can harbor pests and encourage diseases. Another benefit of stump grinding is the creation of sawdust and wood chips, which can be used as mulch. Stump grinding, while not particularly easy, is relatively quick. Even the stump of a very large tree can take as little as four hours to remove.
Stump grinding is eco-friendly and doesn’t disrupt too much of your yard. It’s also far less expensive than stump excavation, though it’s not cheap.
Cons of Stump Grinding
The one big drawback of stump grinding is that it leaves the roots behind. The roots eventually break down, but this can take years. In the meantime, you won’t be able to plant a tree in the same spot, and even building or maintaining underground cables and pipes will be a challenge. As the roots start to decay, they invite vermin and diseases. Some tough roots can actually sprout new trees.
A stump grinder can pose a hazard, so only a certified arborist should handle one. It’s usually a big piece of equipment, and it can be difficult to grind a stump in a cramped area or on a hill.
Pros of Stump Removal
With stump removal, not only the stump, but also its roots, are ripped entirely out of the ground. When you consider that the roots of some trees are as large as their crowns, you’ll have an idea of how daunting this job is. But first, here are the pros.
- The stump and roots are gone forever. There’s no chance of the tree growing back, and the risk of diseases and pests encouraged by rotting roots is removed.
- You can plant another tree or anything else in the area relatively quickly after the removal.
- Like stump grinding, evacuation eliminates a trip and fall hazard.
Cons of Stump Removal
The cons of stump removal are few, but they are significant.
- Stump removal not only pulls out the roots of a felled tree but also disrupts everything around it. What’s left is a crater that needs to be refilled, regraded and replanted.
- The job requires heavy machinery that can compact the soil in your yard and damage the plants you want to keep.
- Stump removal is very expensive and time-consuming.
In the end, grinding is probably the better option if you simply want to remove a hazardous and ugly stump. When you need stump grinding services in West Nyack, NY, contact Timberline.