West Valley Tree Service · Yakima
Stump grinding in Yakima, ground below the lawn line and raked back
A track grinder takes the stump and its surface roots out below grade, and the chips are raked so the spot can be seeded, sodded or planted.
Chapter 01
The stump that sprouts, rots hollow and catches the mower
A stump looks finished the day after a tree comes down. Over the next few seasons it stops being finished. Many species send up suckers from the stump and the roots around it, and those shoots keep returning every time you cut them back. The wood rots from the middle and leaves a hollow that holds water and gives insects somewhere to live.
Even a sound stump is in the way. It is a trip hazard in the grass, it dulls a mower blade, and it sits exactly where you would plant the replacement tree or lay the new patio. Roots stay under the surface long after the trunk is gone, and the biggest of them run just below the lawn.
That is why the stump gets a reading before the grinder is started. We look at how wide it is across the flare, where the surface roots run, how close it sits to a fence, a foundation, a walk or a sprinkler line, and what you plan to put in its place.
A green track stump grinder over a freshly ground stump in a lawn
Buried lines first, then a track grinder cutting down below grade
Before a tooth touches wood, we ask about buried lines and irrigation, because a grinder cutting a foot down will find a sprinkler lateral or a cable the hard way. If you know where they run, tell us. If you are not sure, say so and we will plan the passes around it.
The machine is a track grinder. Tracks spread the weight over soft lawn, and the narrow body gets through a side gate to a backyard stump that a wheeled rig would not reach. The cutting wheel sweeps across the stump in slow passes, taking it down in layers until it is well below the lawn line, and then follows the thick surface roots outward until they dive too deep to matter.
That is the difference between a stump ground out and one just shaved flat. Shaved, it is back in the lawn within a couple of seasons. Ground below grade, there is soil there instead.
Chapter 03
Chips, settling and the patch of lawn that follows
Grinding leaves a mound of wood chips where the stump stood, usually more than you would guess, since the chips fill the hole and then some. They can be raked back into the hole and spread, or hauled out on the dump trailer if the spot is going to be planted. Tell us which you want when we look at it.
Chips settle as they break down, so a ground stump that looks level the first week will sink a little over the next season. Topping the spot up with soil and seed in spring or early fall brings it level, and a tree or shrub planted in its place does best with the chips cleared out and fresh soil under it.
We grind stumps in Yakima, the West Valley, Union Gap, Selah, Naches, Toppenish, Wapato and the surrounding areas, and the estimate is free. Call or text (509) 961-5496 with the stump's width and where it sits, and a photo helps.
Reed Ball, Google review: “His tree removals are reasonably priced, quick and totally cleaned up down to the last twig.” Rated 5.0 from 38 Google reviews. Call (509) 961-5496.