Guide
Stump grinding, or leave it?
A felled tree leaves a stump, and a stump leaves a decision. Four ways to go, and the catches.
Independent enquiry service, not a tree surgery firm. Your enquiry goes to an established local tree surgery firm, who quotes and does the work direct.
Grinding is the one people think of first, and for many gardens it is the right answer. It is not the only one. If grinding is your answer, the stump grinding in King’s Lynn page covers the guide price, machine widths and what to expect.
Grinding
A tracked grinder chews the stump and the top of the roots into woodchip, down to a depth the firm will agree with you. Guide price from £80 for a single stump. It is fast, it leaves little mess, and the hole can be filled and turfed. Ask what depth, and ask what happens to the chippings: some firms spread them, some take them away.
Access decides whether it works. The machine has to get to the stump, so ask about gate width, steps and how far it is from the road. A stump at the back of a terrace with no side passage is a job for hand tools, and the price changes accordingly.
Digging it out
Possible for small stumps, a very large effort for big ones, and on clay it is heavy work. It removes more of the root, which suits you if you want to build or put in drainage on that spot.
Treating it
Some firms offer a stump treatment that speeds up decay or stops regrowth, especially for species that sucker. It is slow and the stump stays for years. Ask what is being used and where it goes.
Leaving it
A stump left alone rots down over years. Cut low, it can be a seat, a base for a planter or a bit of wildlife habitat for beetles and fungi. The catch is regrowth from species like sycamore, willow or lime, which will keep throwing shoots, and trip hazards in a lawn.
Planting in the same place
If you want a new tree where the old one stood, ask the firm first. Old roots can get in the way, and on clay a thirsty replacement planted too close to the house raises the same questions again. Moving a few metres often settles it.
Check before the tree goes
If the tree itself is protected, you need consent or notice before felling, and that is the step to sort first. See the TPO and conservation area guide.