Tree Stumps - Ask Extension
Tree Stumps
I have a large white ash tree, Tall 40" inch in diameter tree located in the front yard. I have gathered quotes from tree services in th...
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Tree Stumps #564356
Asked May 25, 2019, 4:14 AM EDT
Tree Stumps
I have a large white ash tree, Tall 40" inch in diameter tree located in the front yard. I have gathered quotes from tree services in the county, Montgomery County, to remove the dead tree. And grind the stump. Many of the tree services are asking me to contact Miss Utility. Is this my responsibility or the responsibility of the tree service? And if it is the responsibility of the tree service, does the tree service charge a fee?
I would like to leave myself options going forward. I have not decided if I will plant another tree in the same place as the removed tree or if I will grow grass in that space.
Which will give me the border options – Stump and Surface Root Grinding or Tree and Root Removal?
If Stump and Surface Root Grinding is the best way to go, how far below soil level should the tree service grind? Some services will fill the hole with wood chips and place top soil on top of the wood chips. Will I have to wait for the wood chips to disintegrate before grass will grow n that space. Or will filling in the hole with topsoil only allow me to more quickly grow grass in the space?
If stump and root removal is the best way to go, does the tree service haul away the debris as a result of their work? Does the tree service tend to hole as a result of the tree stump and root removal? Will all wood and root pieces be removed from the hole? Is the hole filled with topsoil? Who supplies the topsoil, me or the tree service? Should the topsoil match the type of soil that already exist in the yard? Who determines the type of soil already in the yard?
Oh, is there good and bad topsoil? If it is my responsibility to purchase the topsoil, where do I purchase quality topsoil?
Thanks.
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Licenses tree companies should be checking Miss Utility themselves. They are required to do so and should not charge you extra. Other than that, there are no requirements for many of your questions. You and the company should discuss what happens to debris, for instance, and agree on a plan.
Stump grinding does not remove all roots (some left are several inches wide), but it removes the majority of wood from the trunk base and largest attaching roots. How deep it goes will depend somewhat on the size of the tree.
How they refill the hole depends upon what you tell them to do--which in turn depends upon what you want to do with that spot next. The grinding results in a soil-small wood chip mix.
Grass wants at least a foot of topsoil for good root growth.and the chips will be obstacles to the roots. So, for grass, refill the hole with topsoil. Who supplies it is your choice. Topsoil is not regulated. It should smell like healthy soil.
If you replant a tree, also refill the hole with topsoil, as the grindings need to age.
Tree roots thrive on decaying wood chips as mulch, and the grindings can be used as mulch. Even as mulch, it's good to let it season a year so some of the tannin is lost. Then you spread them about two inches thick around trees, (not touching the base of plants). The roots can take up the nutrients released as the chips decay. They also work as garden mulch, after they age .Or, after a year or so, it can be used as an organic soil amendment.
Ellen
Stump grinding does not remove all roots (some left are several inches wide), but it removes the majority of wood from the trunk base and largest attaching roots. How deep it goes will depend somewhat on the size of the tree.
How they refill the hole depends upon what you tell them to do--which in turn depends upon what you want to do with that spot next. The grinding results in a soil-small wood chip mix.
Grass wants at least a foot of topsoil for good root growth.and the chips will be obstacles to the roots. So, for grass, refill the hole with topsoil. Who supplies it is your choice. Topsoil is not regulated. It should smell like healthy soil.
If you replant a tree, also refill the hole with topsoil, as the grindings need to age.
Tree roots thrive on decaying wood chips as mulch, and the grindings can be used as mulch. Even as mulch, it's good to let it season a year so some of the tannin is lost. Then you spread them about two inches thick around trees, (not touching the base of plants). The roots can take up the nutrients released as the chips decay. They also work as garden mulch, after they age .Or, after a year or so, it can be used as an organic soil amendment.
Ellen
