Stump grinding in Puyallup

Grinding vs. digging it out

Grinding chews the stump down below grade and leaves wood chips and soil. It's fast, low-impact and what most homeowners need. Excavation pulls the stump and main roots out entirely, which is messier but sometimes needed for footings, driveways or utility work.

Before the grinder shows up

• How deep: shallow grinding is fine for lawn. Go deeper for replanting or construction.
• Roots: say whether you want the surface roots ground too.
• Chips: keep them as fill or mulch, or have them hauled off.
• Access: gate width, slopes, steps and soft wet ground all matter. Valley yards can be muddy most of the winter.
• Locates: call 811 before grinding so buried utilities get marked.

Sprouting stumps

Cottonwood, alder, big-leaf maple and many ornamental trees resprout vigorously from a cut stump. Grinding is the cleanest way to stop the suckers. Fir and cedar stumps don't resprout, but they can take decades to rot away on their own.

Street tree stumps

If the stump is between the curb and the sidewalk, it's a street tree site. Puyallup's right-of-way application asks for a plan for stump grinding and cleanup when a street tree is removed, and requires a replacement tree if the planter strip is 4 feet or wider. Check with the city before replanting there.