Stump Grinding & Removal in Buffalo, NY

Stump grinding and removal take care of what a tree removal leaves behind. Grinding uses a machine with a toothed wheel that chews the stump into chips, usually to about 4 to 6 inches below the soil, deep enough to cover with soil and seed. Full removal means digging out the stump and its main roots, which takes more time and leaves a bigger hole, and is worth it only when you need the ground for a foundation, a patio or a new tree in the same spot.

Why not leave it?

Some people do, and that is fine for a stump at the back of a lot. But stumps of maples and some other species send up sprouts for years, a rotting stump can draw carpenter ants and fungi, and a stump in the middle of a lawn is a mowing obstacle and a tripping hazard.

Roots and old sewer lines

Grinding the stump does not remove the roots spreading out from it. Most of them die and decay in place over the next several years. Surface roots that lift a lawn can be ground out along their length as an added item. Roots that have already worked into a sewer line are a separate problem. In Buffalo, property owners are responsible for the sewer line from the street to the house, and older laterals are often clay pipe with joints that roots can get into, so if a removal was prompted by sewer backups, plan on a plumber clearing or repairing the line too.

Before the grinder starts

We request a utility mark-out through 811 before grinding, because gas, water and electric lines often run close to stumps near the street or the house. If the stump is in the strip between the sidewalk and the curb, it is a city stump, and grinding it is the city's job or needs a permit, so call 311.

Chips and the hole

Grinding a medium stump makes a surprising pile of chips. You can keep them to fill the hole and let them settle, or have them hauled away and the hole filled with topsoil for seeding. Chips left in the hole break down and the ground sinks a little over the first year, so many people top it with soil.