The number one option for Tree Stump Removal is to use a Stump Grinding Machine. A Stump Grinder is a machine that has an engine that mechanically or hydraulically spins a disc. The disc has special cutting teeth attached. It grinds back and forth across the face of the Tree Stump, literally grinding away the wood of the stump down below ground level.

The benefits of this method are that it is fairly fast, cost effective and nowhere as labour intensive as trying to dig the stump out by hand. The stump can be ground to different depths depending on what you want to achieve. Big roots radiating out from the stump can be followed and ground and the earth mound that gets pushed up around the base of bigger stumps can be ground away with ease as well. Also it is much easier to move the resulting grindings than to attempt to dig out a tree stump, which can be fine for smaller stumps but with big stumps it would be too heavy to lift and also hard to cut up as there is so much dirt around a stump. Chainsaw blades are very quickly made blunt and lose their cutting ability as soon as they come into contact with dirt. The other benefit with this way of Tree Stump removal is that Stumps come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and locations and consequently there are different types of Stump Grinding Machines that are designed to work in these different scenario’s and at Stump Busters our Tree Stump Removal equipment is varied and we have seven different types of machines that we use depending on the job and what is going to be the best piece of gear to get the job done properly.

The second option for Tree Stump Removal is to manually dig out the Stump by hand. This is a method that you can have some success with small Tree stumps but does require a fair bit of physical effort. The way to do this is using a spade to dig out the earth surrounding the stump to expose the roots radiating out from the Stump and then using either an axe or a saw to cut through the roots and then lever the stump out. Sometimes a Tap root can be a problem which will require more digging to try to get under the stump so you can work at cutting this final root that is holding the stump in place. If you don’t mind a bit of hard work this definitely works but is only really suitable on small stumps and it is common for us to do a job for people who have tried this method but given up.

Another option for Tree stump Removal is to use a machine like a backhoe, or excavator but naturally this only suits people who are already having major work done on site and can maybe try using this method. Saying that, this is not guaranteed and once again we do many jobs for clients where these machines have not been successful at getting medium to large stumps out of the ground. The root system of a tree is designed to hold a tree up in strong winds and since a lot of the time these machines are trying to push or lever the stump out of the ground they are actually trying to complete an action the stump is fantastically designed to oppose. That is, being pushed over by strong forces. Another downside to this method is that if the digger manages to get the stump out of the ground then you are still left with a big tree stump that has to be disposed of, which can be a problem. I have seen a big Pohutukawa stump that was so heavy it couldn’t be lifted by a 20 tonne digger.

The forth option for Tree Stump Removal is to use time. While not a true Tree Stump Removal technique, just leaving a tree stump in the ground and waiting for it to slowly rot can be an option for the patient. Unfortunately we are talking years here. The rotting process can be sped up by drilling holes or making plunging
cuts with a chain saw into the stump so that water will accumulate in the holes and speed up the process but the rotting process still takes years to get to a point where the stump is rotten enough to try to be broken apart and the pieces of stump still have to be disposed of. The roots can still be a problem and if there was a stump mound of earth around the stump that will still be there.

A fifth option of Tree Stump Removal is Burning but once again this is not a very effective method as tree stumps are by nature quite hard to burn and you generally end up with a blacked stump that has only partially burnt and really this is not a safe or practical option to use in the suburbs and is rarely successful in practice.

The sixth option is to use Explosive for Tree Stump Removal. This of course is illegal and impractical in towns and cities and is only a viable option on farms where the stump is a safe distance from people, animals and houses. Whilst it might be a fun way to get rid of a Tree Stump, the stump is not blown into wood chip; it’s just blown apart into bigger chunks that still have to be disposed of. So a licensed explosives expert could have some fun with this but in reality it is not an option for 99% of people but check out the following video if you what to see the results.