Stump Grinding

Most people choose to grind a stump after a tree removal as it is an eyesore, because it is a tripping or safety hazard, or because they want to plant something else in that area. If you've removed a diseased or pest-ridden tree, grinding a stump can help ensure that the disease or pests do not spread. Stump removal also prevents the tree from growing back.

A stump grinder chews away at the stump wood that’s left after a tree has been cut down. All stump grinders use a powerful, rotating blade that rips into the wood as it turns. The blade’s teeth cut the stump wood into small pieces. The operator guides the blade over the entire stump as the blade reduces the wood to chips and takes the stump down to well below ground level.

Stump grinding results in lots of chips of wood. You'll make more of them than you think, but they can be used as mulch onsite or added to your green waste can. You'll also have a hole, since you've just ground out all the stump volume that filled it. You can shovel the wood chips into the hole to decay, or you can import soil and fill the hole so that it's even with the surrounding ground.

Stump grinders differ from stump removers. A stump remover is auger-like and bores down into the stump from above, removing all trunk wood and anchoring roots.

A small, lightweight rented stump grinder means more time and physical effort for you, and your stump may be too large for a rental grinder to handle. And, as anyone who has rented machinery knows, there's no guarantee that the equipment is in good working order or even safe to operate. When you factor in the time, safety equipment, fuel, rental fee, and potential damage from a rented stump grinder (like rocks smashing through your window!), it's usually far more cost-effective to hire a professional stump grinding company to do the work.

Even the most skilled tree removal expert can’t cut a tree down flush with the ground, so there will always be a stump.

Contact us first. We can evaluate your situation and give you an estimate of how much it will cost to remove the tree stump. You may be surprised at how affordable it is. Most stump removals are fast, and even large stumps usually take only a few hours.

Stump grinding removes only some of the tree's roots. We grind the stump about 6 to 8 inches below ground level. However, roots are quite extensive and spread both outward and down from the stump, so it's likely that there will still be many roots underground. This is why you generally can't replant a tree in the exact spot where a tree used to stand (at least not until the old roots have decayed).

Stump grinding is a separate service that can be added to your tree removal quote. Be sure to let our estimator know you'd like the stump ground away when they're discussing options with you.

We do not offer stump removal (which usually involves digging or pulling out the stump, including the roots).