Spring clean up in Vermont often brings with it jobs that we’d like to ignore, and probably have for years.
One of the jobs I find myself putting off is removing a tree stump or dead trees.
If you’re facing this task, it will take a few basic tools – and plenty of energy. If the tree has already been cut down, you shouldn’t even need the axe.
In fact, last spring we removed several dead trees and stumps. One of our clients needed a tree removed and the stump removed. It was a good sized tree, and it was dead, but it wasn’t weak. It was going to take some brawn and endurance to get that baby out of the ground.
You may be wondering how to remove tree stump. Well, if you don’t have the tools we have, this is how you can go about it.
First, give the old tree stump a “once-over”. In this particular case, the tree was about 7 inches in diameter. Not too large, but large enough. Because this was spur of the moment, I knew I was going to need an axe, a strong digging spade and an all-purpose pry-bar. No problem. I had them all and was ready to go.
I started by chopping the tree down at the base. It didn’t really have much on it as far as branches and leaves went at this point. Once this task was complete, it was time to think about how to remove tree stump. I grabbed the garden hose and saturated all the dirt surrounding the tree, two feet around the base. I proceeded to dig a good sized mote around the tree stump. This allowed me to see how deep it went and how large the roots were.
WOW, was it going to be a pain cutting through those roots. Nevertheless, I began to do so with the digging spade and my sharp pry-bar. Every once in a while I would stop cutting and start prying up the stump with the six foot pry-bar. After about an hour, I was able to get the stump out of the hole. It was easy to refill the hole with the extra dirt, smooth it out and re-seed the area.
In a nut shell, that’s how to remove tree stump or dead trees. With a few basic tools and plenty of energy, you should be all set. Oh – and plan on being exhausted when it’s all said and done!
If you’d rather not tackle that spring clean up job, give us a call. We have the tools and the experience to get spring clean up, and all that comes with it, done.