Is Stump Grinding Worth the Cost?
stump removal and stump grinding minneapolis, plymouth

Stump grinding has always been part of tree clearing and removal. If your family has lived in Minnesota for a few generations, chances are your great-grandparents spent significant time hand-grinding tree stumps away to prepare their land for farming. Back then, stump grinding wasn’t a luxury, it was a necessity.

But you’re not farming your backyard—at least not on the scale your great-grandparents did. Do you really need to grind the stump of the tree you took out last month or plan to remove it this summer? Is stump removal worth the cost?

We would like to think so. Here’s why.

Removing Stumps Keeps Your Urban Forest Healthy

It may seem like the natural thing to leave your stump in place and let nature take its course. But doing so leaves your urban forest vulnerable to the not-so-nice aspects of decay and decomposition. Termites are one of nature’s best decomposers, but they can wreak havoc on your healthy trees, not to mention your home. The same goes for the fungi that will crop up around and in a decaying stump. Grinding and removing stumps prevents these pests and fungi from taking up residence in your yard and infesting your healthy plants, trees, and home.

Removing Stumps Prevents Zombie Trees

Chopping down and removing a tree often kills the specimen, but not always. Maple trees, elm trees, and willows grow quickly. Often, the stumps of these species can sprout suckers that, left unattended, can grow up to six feet in a single season. You may also find volunteers of these trees turning up in unexpected places in your yard as shoots spring up from the old tree’s root system. Stump grinding eliminates the chances of zombie trees cropping up in your yard. Grinding the stump into the ground speeds up the decay process for the roots, returning nutrients to the soil without introducing pests into your urban forest.

Stump Grinding Expands Your Landscaping Options

There are only so many randomly placed half-whiskey barrels your landscape design can stand. While putting a planter on top of one tree stump can provide some structure to your landscape, having several starts to look random and out of place.

Having stumps in your yard limits what you can plant in your space, too. Removing a tree often creates a new patch of sun and endless gardening possibilities. Getting the stump removed is the first step in creating your next garden bed. If you’re considering the removal of a tree or two from your urban forest, contact Urban Tree & Landscape. Our professional arborists will safely and completely remove your tree and grind the stump so you can move forward with reshaping your landscape.

Stump Grinding

If you have any concerns about your trees on your property and are located in the Twin Cities metro area, please contact Urban Tree and Landscape today at (612) 532-9996 to schedule an appointment.


Internal Links:

External Links: