Traditional Tree Stump Removal versus Tree Stump Grinders

Perhaps the most difficult part of removing a tree from your property is ridding yourself of the tree stump. Cutting the actual tree down is often quick, and provided you watch where the tree is going to land, painless. However the tree leaves behind a thick stump, embedded in earth with an extensive network of roots that make it practically impossible to fully remove. There have been a myriad of different techniques used in the past, but in the modern age, the advent of the tree stump grinder is a blessing for both landscapers and landowners alike.

When metal tools were first invented, the mattock was surely an important weapon in a forester’s arsenal. With a chisel-like, broad blade on one side and an axe-like blade on the other, the mattock is used to loosen the soil around the tree stump and then to burrow under the roots for removal. This process is not a task for the faint of heart as it is backbreaking work. The tree stump grinder is a mechanical means of doing the same basic thing. The tree stump grinder chips away at the tree stump all the way down to its roots without breaking a sweat. When you have completed the arduous task of manually removing your tree stump with a mattock, you are left with an unattractive gaping hole. When the tree stump grinder is finished, the result is a fresh pile of mulch.

Another old forestry practice is pouring kerosene onto the porous wood and burning the stumps. This method, however, is dangerous and not entirely effective. The potential of creating a forest fire should be enough to deter the most ardent advocate of this method, but if you keep a close eye on the fire and ensure it does not spread, this can be avoided. The main problem with this method is getting oxygen down into the inner crevices of the stump and its roots. Without oxygen, fire cannot thrive, and so sometimes the result of this method is charred remains of a stump which are even more difficult to get rid of than the original stump. The use of a tree stump grinder guarantees that you are not leaving any pieces of tree behind. The tree stump grinder takes the guesswork out of stump removal, because you know that it will remove the entire stump, and it doesn’t have the ability to burn down acres of surrounding forest.

A new method that has come on the scene is using nitrogen-based fertilizers to decompose the stump. This is supposedly just a catalyst for nature’s own decomposition process; however it is still slow-going. If you need a stump removed quickly, this method is not going to cut it. A tree stump grinder will remove the stump much quicker, which is essential in the modern forestry industry.

The tree stump grinder far surpasses all traditional methods of stump removal. It is quicker, less manual labor, and ensures that you will be rid of your entire stump, roots included. For someone who wants the job done right, a tree stump grinder is the ideal tool.

To learn more about Canadian forestry and Torret Technical Inc.’s forestry products, please contact us.