Stump Grinding Services We Offer in Northern VA
After a tree is removed, it is going to leave behind both its stump and the associated root system underneath.
Depending on the size of the tree, you do have a few options for removing it, which are detailed in the general tree stump removal section.
For larger trees, it is often the case that stump grinding could be your best option. Here is a brief run down of this service, what it involves – and, first of all, why bother doing it at all.
Please call us at (703) 844-3294 or fill out the free estimate request for after hours assistance. We are more than happy to come out and get you a free estimation for your project.
Why Remove the Stump?
This is one of the questions we get most often – just why does the stump even need to be removed at all?
Well, for one thing a stump left behind after a tree is felled can cause a whole host of problems. If it is simply allowed to die in place, eventually it will start to rot which can attract a range of fungi and other diseases that can quickly spread to – and infect – your other trees.
The other considerations are aesthetics and space. Frankly, an old tree stump is not the nicest looking thing to have in your yard. Secondly, by leaving it in place, you could be taking up precious room that could be better used by a new tree or even a path or some new lawn.
Frankly, if you’ve already hired us to get rid of your old tree, why not finish the job?
What is a Stump Grinder?
To put it very basically, it is a mechanical power operated tool that our technicians will use to grind the tree stump down into wood chips. It can be deployed on a stump of virtually any size, however it’s best application is on larger stumps that it would be difficult to physically pull from the earth.
Some stump grinders are essentially hand held size machines, extremely mobile and easy to get into and work with in a yard of just about any size. The restrictions with these smaller sized grinders is they have smaller working surface, meaning it can take a long time to grind a larger stump with one of these!
Most grinders therefore are larger sized machines, mounted on a rugged, wheeled platform. Kind of like an industrial looking lawnmower, if you want the image!
The key part of the machine is the sharp blade mounted beneath. This blade is powered by the attached motor, and works to cut into, and grind down, the surface layer of the wood.
By repeated application of the blade, so the stump will be essentially chewed up into easily collected wood chips.
What Will You Do?
If you decide on this method to remove your tree stump, out technicians will usually start the process not with the grinding machine, but rather with their chainsaws. They will use them to trim the stump as close to the ground as possible – this means that there is less stump for the machine to have to work through.
The grinder will then be set at a level just above the top of the stump, and the engine will be turned on – then it’s grinding time!
Our technician will run the grinding machine over the stump until the top level has been chewed up into wood chips. This is collected and taken away whilst the machine is reset to the next level.
The technicians will keep going until the stump is reduced to a hole in the ground full of wood chips, and you have now effectively completely removed the tree from your yard.
As we mentioned up top, there are a range of options available to you when it comes to stump removal after a tree cutting. Don’t worry, we’ll talk you through all of them during your consultation and help you to select the best method.