Erasing unsightly stumps from your yard. Like most homeowners in the Greater Cleveland area, you are probably annoyed by the stumps in your yard; in addition to being eyesores, they can pose safety hazards and can restrict your landscape’s design. Most Northeast Ohio homeowners have at least one stump marring their yard’s beauty. This is because removing a stump after chopping down a tree can be a costly and time intensive process if not done properly. Some of the most common methods of removing a stump include:

• Rotting: The most hands-off approach to stump removal entails letting nature run its course. Many tree stumps will rot within eight to 10 years, but this process can be expedited by applying a high-nitrate substance to the stump. Unfortunately, in addition to this process being very slow, some stumps will form sprouts instead of rotting, turning into an unattractive, woody shrub.
• Manually: A more proactive but very physical demanding method is removing the stump by hand. This only works if the stump is small, old, or rotting, and requires the use of tools such as a chainsaw, limbing saw, shovel, ax, or even a truck and chain to tow out the stump. This process can be both cumbersome and dangerous to those without previous stump removal experience.
• Chemically: You can also remove a stump with a potassium-nitrate based chemical tree stump killer. This requires drilling holes into the stump, pouring in the chemical, and waiting several weeks for the stump to soften before breaking it up manually or by burning it. However, this method is not good for the environment; there is the potential for chemicals to leech into the soil, damaging nearby plant life and contaminating ground water.
• Grinding: As an alternative to full excavation of a tree stump, a professional arborist can grind stumps a few inches below the ground using special grinding equipment. The wood chips and surrounding soil are then backfilled into the hole, and grass seed can be planted above it, thereby erasing the stump completely. Because this is the safest, easiest, and most cost-effective way of getting rid of an ugly tree stump, it is the preferred method for Northeast Ohio homeowners.

Before you make the decision to tackle your yard’s stumps yourself, consider hiring a professional arborist to do it for you. While it is possible to rent a grinder, they are hard to manage and dangerous if you have not been properly trained on their use. A tree care professional will have the knowledge and experience to tackle any stump, large or small, and will be able to advise on the best removal method taking into consideration factors such as the stump’s size, age, and location.