Tree and Shrub Removal

Small trees and shrubs can be dug out of the ground if their root systems are small and shallow. To remove large trees and shrubs, follow the guidelines below.

Cutting the plant to a stump: Saw larger, established plants to a stump. Contact a professional arborist to do this job if the tree or shrub is very large or in an area where the falling branches and trunk might damage nearby structures or property, injure people, or fall on power lines. Kill the remaining stump before removing it; stumps that are alive are much more difficult to remove. If you choose to keep the stump as a decorative element in your landscape, it may continue to resprout if you do not kill it.

Killing freshly cut stumps: Remove any sprouts growing from the trunk, then paint or daub undiluted brush-killer herbicide over the entire surface of the stump within 30 minutes after the tree or shrub has been cut. If there is a chance of runoff from rain affecting adjacent desirable plants, cover the stump with a plastic bag and secure it around the base of the stump.

Killing old, resprouting stumps: With a hatchet, make a continuous horizontal cut or an overlapping ring of notches around the base of the stump, angling downward into the bark. Cut through but do not remove any of the bark. Pour as much brush-killer herbicide into the cut as it will hold. Reapply the treatment if the stump resprouts. Cover the stump with plastic as mentioned above if runoff may be a problem.

Removing small stumps: Large brush or small trees (with trunk diameters less than 2 inches) can often be pulled from the ground. Remove the top, leaving the stump long enough to give a good purchase--3 to 5 feet if possible. Using a tractor or 4-wheel-drive utility vehicle, tie a chain to the top of the stump and the hitch of the tractor and pull the stump from the ground.

If no vehicle is available, or if vehicle access is not possible, stumps may be pulled with a lever. Cut a section of log from 1 to 2 feet in diameter and 1 foot long. Drill a hole in the side to accommodate a crowbar. With the hole facing up, place the log against the stump to be pulled. Insert a crowbar into the hole. Wrap a length of chain tightly around the base of the stump and around the crowbar. When the crowbar is pulled back, the stump will be pulled up and out of the ground.

Removing the stump: You will know the stump is dead if it fails to resprout during the next growing season. Dig it out, or contact a professional landscape contractor or arborist who can quickly remove a living or dead stump with a stump grinder.