Stump Removal

Forestry mowing effectively grinds stumps down to the grade of the soil, so for stumps up to 12” in diameter, they will no longer present a hazard to future management and use of the site. By leaving the root system in the ground, there is less soil disturbance so subsequent weed growth is minimized and no holes are created that require additional labor to fill. As the stumps slowly decay, the soil fills in over time, leaving a close to level surface.

For some situations, such as wildlife plot clearing, clearing farm land, or trail or road construction, larger stumps should be removed. This will allow easier site work without the risk of damaging farming equipment and enables the use of smaller scale attachments commonly used in wildlife plots. Better seedbed preparation is then able to be done and this will give superior results. Smaller stumps of 8” or less can be grubbed out of the ground while large stumps are simply ground out in place.

Wick Habitat services utilizes a stump grinder mounted on its tracked loader. This enables fast and easy access to remote areas.

Another situation where stump removal is preferable is to remove hazards from fields for future mowing operations. This is especially important when establishing new prairie, as maintenance mowings are typically done the first two or three seasons. Protect your expensive rotary or flail mowers by eliminating the hazards. When row planting trees, removing existing stumps beforehand means no obstacles when planting or when in-between row mowing and band spraying. This allows better management of the stand.