Stump Grinding in Canton, OH

Stump grinding uses a machine with a toothed cutting wheel to chew a stump into chips, down to several inches below the surface, without pulling the whole root system out of the ground. It is the usual way to deal with a stump in a lawn, along a fence, or in a Canton tree lawn, where the city's Section 917.05 says that when an entire tree is removed, the stump must also be removed and the ground restored.

Why not leave it?

A stump is a trip hazard and a mowing obstacle, and many species send up sprouts from the roots for years. Decaying stumps can attract carpenter ants and fungi. A stump also takes the spot where you might plant a replacement tree. For a tree-lawn stump in Canton, leaving it is not really an option once the tree is gone.

How deep and what is left

Grinding typically goes several inches below grade, enough to lay topsoil and seed or sod. Deeper grinding can be done where a new tree will be planted nearby or where a path or patio is going in. Large surface roots running out from the stump can be chased and ground too. What remains is a pile of chips and soil: you can keep it as mulch, have it raked into the hole, or have it hauled away and the hole backfilled with topsoil.

Before we grind

A grinder works below the surface, so buried utilities get marked through OHIO811 before the wheel goes in. Gas, water, electric and cable lines often run through tree lawns and along property lines, so marking utilities comes first. We also check for buried irrigation, invisible dog fence wire and landscape edging close to the stump.

Grinding on its own visit

Stumps can be ground the same day as a removal or on a separate visit. Many homeowners call after an older removal, a storm cleanup or a do-it-yourself takedown to deal with stumps left behind. Several stumps on one property are cheaper per stump than one at a time, since most of the cost is getting the machine there.