Grinding Tree Stumps
Once trees are taken down in the garden, it's essential to grind the tree stumps left behind.
Grinding the tree stumps prevents pest infestation, clears space for new plants, improves the safety of the area, and maintains a clean and tidy landscape. After several trees were taken down from an area near my hoop houses, the team from Bizee Bee Tree Service returned the following day with the stump grinder to finish the job.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- I hate removing any tree, but those trees that are dead, diseased, or growing improperly can fall and cause injury and damage, so they must always be removed. Eight trees were taken down in an area near my hoop houses. Now it’s time to grind the stumps.
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- A stump grinder is a powerful machine designed to eliminate the remaining part of a tree stump by grinding it into small wood chips.
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- The main component of the stump grinder is the cutting wheel. It is equipped with carbide teeth that grind the wood.
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- Here, the teeth are inspected to make sure all are in good working condition.
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- The teeth are held on by these clamps that attach to the cutting wheel.
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- Sometimes these teeth need to be rotated or replaced. They are often checked for damage and wear during the grinding process.
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- The teeth are removed and replaced easily with wrenches and ratchets.
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- Meanwhile, any stones or big rocks are removed from near the stump. This is to prevent any unnecessary damage to the grinder’s cutter teeth.
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- It is also done to prevent any projectiles that could potentially cause serious injury.
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- The operator stands at the controls behind a shield while grinding up the stump.
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- And then he maneuvers the machine right up to the stump and begins grinding.
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- The pressure of the grinder and the carbide teeth chip the wood away quickly.
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- Here is a section of the stump done.
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- The grinder works from the other side.
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- The stump grinder uses its high speed cutting wheel to chip until it is at least five inches below ground level.
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- A stump can take anywhere from 30-minutes to two hours to grind down a tree stump depending on the size, wood type, and accessibility. To grind all eight stumps took the crew one day.
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- The wood chips can be used to top dress the bed. They provide moisture retention, weed suppression, and improve the soil’s health. All the wood chips from the grinding job are returned to the earth.
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- Once a stump is done, the crew spreads and levels the wood chips.
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- And finally, the area is raked evenly.
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- This space at the edge of my Japanese Maple Woodland and near my hoop houses is now clear, giving more light and air to the plants and smaller trees nearby.
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