Why Professional Stump Grinding Is so Important

It’s certainly tempting after a long day of DIY tree removal to pack up all of your equipment and say “All done!” when you reach the stump. But that tree stump won’t be going anywhere unless you intervene, and it can even come back and haunt you.

But removing a tree stump isn’t an easy task, and it’s best to call in the professionals. Here are reasons why you shouldn’t skimp on professional stump grinding services.

1. Termites can take up residence in old stumps. Termites are easily a home owner’s worst nightmare. You don’t want them anywhere near your house. Other unwanted insects that are attracted to dry tree stumps are ants, beetles and cockroaches. Larger stumps may attract larger critters, including raccoons, possums, squirrels and snakes. Just how comfortable are you with playing host to the neighborhood snake den?

2. A leftover stump can be a hazard to lawnmowers and ankles. Let’s get real for a second: every time you push the lawn mower around the stump, you’ll be grumbling about how much easier it would be to run the mower straight across that space instead of performing an intricate, sweaty dance to get the grass at all angles. But larger stumps are usually just an annoyance rather than a danger. The dangerous stumps are the smaller ones that are prone to being hidden by grass. Cutting the tree trunk down as close to the ground as possible seemed like a great idea at the time, right? But you’re more likely to trip over a smaller stump and/or run over it with the lawnmower in such a way that damages the blades.

3. Digging a stump out of the ground is laborious and inefficient. If you’re going to dig a stump out of the ground, your main tools are a shovel, an axe and a sledgehammer. It takes a lot of work to hack away at the roots, pound the stump sideways to try to knock it over, hack more roots, give the stump another whack, and repeat indefinitely until all of the roots have been exposed and cut away. It’s fiddly business.

4. Digging a stump out of the ground could damage the surrounding area. What do you do with the stump once you’ve severed all of its roots? Typically at this point you have a large, heavy chunk of wood sitting in a pit in the ground. You could chop it into smaller pieces where it stands, but wrapping a chain around it and hauling it away with a truck is another common method. This can actually damage the vehicle if done improperly and can also possibly damage surrounding landscapes, patios, etc. when the stump is dragged out of its hole. Plus, if the stump is close to a wall or fence, it could be awkward to find enough room to swing an axe.

5. Plus, leftover stumps just don’t look very nice. And if you’d go to the effort of making a stump look pretty, you might as well spend the effort removing it to avoid those pesky termites, snakes and raccoons. It’s got to come out at some point. Best to just bite the bullet.

Stump grinding, on the other hand, offers these benefits:

1. It gets rid of the stump quite easily, even in tight spaces. In other words, it just gets the job done! No need to worry about animals or insects nesting in the stump. No need to spend all day in the hot sun. It’s a very effective solution.

2. Stump grinders go below the soil line. By grinding the stump a few inches past the soil line, you don’t have to worry about tripping over it or having it ruin your lawn mower.
3. Stump grinders are not labor-intensive to use. The machine does all the work for you by chipping away at the stump.

Stump grinding machines do have sharp blades and cause wood chips to fly around, though, so knowing how to use one safely is key. That’s where calling the professionals eliminates any last headaches you have about the tree stump. Let a knowledgeable team do what they do best and you’ll never have to give that stump another thought.