Stump Grinding in Huntsville, AL

Stump grinding uses a machine with a toothed cutting wheel to chip a stump away a little at a time until it sits below the surface of the ground. It is the usual way to deal with stumps in Huntsville yards, because it removes what you can see and the top of the root crown without digging a hole the size of a car. Afterward the spot can be leveled, filled with soil and seeded or sodded, and the remaining roots underground slowly decay.

Why stumps are worth dealing with

Stumps get in the way of mowing and trip people. Pine and hardwood stumps left in the ground can attract termites and other wood-boring insects as they decay. Some species, such as sweetgum, can send up sprouts from the roots for years after the tree is gone. And a stump in the middle of a lawn makes it hard to replant the spot with grass or a new tree.

Huntsville ground conditions

Much of Huntsville sits on limestone bedrock, sometimes not far below the surface, and the soil above it is often heavy clay. Rock right under a stump can limit how deep a grinder can go, and we will tell you if that is the case. Clay holds water, so after a rainy stretch, getting a grinder across a soft lawn without ruts may mean waiting a few days or laying down plywood. On sloped lots, smaller machines are often the safer choice.

Before we grind: utilities

Grinding goes below ground, so buried lines matter. Alabama's one-call service, Alabama 811, should be contacted before digging, and we confirm that lines near the stump are marked. Irrigation lines, invisible dog fences and private lighting wires are not marked by 811, so let us know where those run.

Chips and the hole

Grinding a large stump makes a surprising pile of mixed wood chips and soil. You can have the chips raked back into the hole and mounded to settle, used as mulch elsewhere, or hauled away, with topsoil brought in for seed or sod. Because the City of Huntsville does not collect debris from a contractor's work, the quote says which option you chose.

Old stumps and storm stumps

We grind fresh stumps right after a removal and old stumps that have been sitting for years. Stumps from trees uprooted in storms can be a different job, with the root plate partly out of the ground, and are sometimes cut flush and ground rather than pulled.