It's a fairly tough task to dig out a stump on a tree of any considerable size (as the one's in the picture.)

What you do with the stump depends to a large extent what you are going to do with the space after the tree is gone. If it's going to be lawn, and the stump can be cut low enough (flush,) some people would be satisfied to let it rot away by natural decay. If it will be in the way, the preferred method is to have it ground out with a stump grinder as this produces instant results without too much trouble. This could be done by a pro or as DIY with rental equipment.

Over the years, I've had a couple large stumps that were in the way and neither burning nor chemicals worked well, or fast. It took years, with natural decay being the most effective tool in the slow process. Better to grind, or cut flush and tolerate what's left.

use chemicals to burn it out over several weeks.

==>> in tree time.. i am not aware that said chems work that fast ... nor that they actually work that way ... could you give us a link ???

on my acres ... i would just cut them flush to the ground .... and then use stump killer to kill the root mass ... and just let the grass grow around it ... i would insure they are cut low enough that the lawn mower could go right over them ....

it is suggested.. that the root mass you dont see.. is twice to 3 times as large as what you see above .... i dont really see you digging it out.. by hand .... and i can imagine the hole you will need to make.. just to be able to get a shovel in the soil ...

if you were to use or hire a grinder ... remove all the grindings .. and replace with fresh soil ... there will be too much wood in the grindings..

i learned.. a long time ago ... making the tree fall down .. is actually the easiest part .. lol ... getting rid of the cuttings.. is usually the bigger job ... and then you still have the stump ...

ken

ps: if you do decide to dig ... call miss dig.. and insure you wont be messing with any utilities ....

Those aren't (by my definition) that large a stump. There's also the avenue that I took, simply make circular flower beds around them, and let nature rot them. Many plants do well with the sawdust/wood breakdown that is probably in place. In 5 to 7 years, they'll be gone.

What sort of trees are they? Cutting a tree down won't necessarily kill it. If they are a species which suckers cutting and leaving won't be the end of it.

Thanks, all.

I haven't looked into hiring someone to grind it- I was under the impression that they are expensive and that renting a grinder doing it yourself is probably not for the inexperienced.

Not sure what kind of trees they are. Some sort of birch or poplar tree if I had to guess. Completely unsure of the single one by itself.

I think I may end up taking the advice above and cutting the stump low enough to let the mower pass over and let it be. I would like to open up the lawn and ideally- there would be no stumps. But if it's too costly or not worth the effort I'll be happy to just leave well enough alone.

Ken, I had read to drill holes into the stump and fill them with stump killer and water. Let it soak into the stump/roots for a couple of weeks.

Then fill the same holes with kersosene and let it soak in for a few more weeks.

Then light it and let it smolder into oblivion over the course of a couple of weeks.

Found it several places. This Old House, HGTV, The Spruce, etc

Birch/poplar will both rot faster than the oaks that I'm used to. Far faster. 2-3 years may see significant rotting.

Guys who I have help me in the garden routinely dig out much larger stumps than that, using a combination of an axe and a pry bar. And muscle!

I'm with Sara on this one, the trees shown above are quite small in comparison to the stumps that I routinely remove myself with hand tools. Cut the trees off, then dig out the soil around the stump and use a sharp axe to chop the roots. Yes, it's a workout, but it's free other than if you need to purchase an axe and you certainly can just take your time! Alternately, cut the trees flush with the ground and leave be, you can always easily remove the stumps when they've begun to rot away.

I agree that those trees are very small. I had one that was probably 10” diameter that the local handyman clean-cut just barely below the ground surface. We scattered grass seed around and it’s hardly noticeable.

Several years ago I had a much larger stump ground out professionally. It was probably 22” diameter. The grinder fella was not diligent about removing sawdust and replacing it with dirt (and I did not know at the time that he SHOULD) so it took probably five years of root and sawdust decay/settling to get a good stand of grass there.

A low-tech way to speed rotting along is to drill holes straight down into the stump. Freezing and thawing snow/ice works wonders.

Those trees aren't that big, what I do with stuff that size is cut flush with a chain saw and mow over. You could paint the fresh cut stump with 42% glyphosate for good measure.

If you decide to remove the stumps yourself, I suggest you not cut the tree, dig out/cut the roots on one side, get a FWD and a LONG rope/chain, and let the weight of the tree do most of the work. There's lots of videos on YouTube of guys that used SHORT ropes, they don't end well LOL.

Trees that size are easy to pull with a tractor and chain. We'd tip them a couple of directions to start the lateral roots breaking, then just pull like an unwanted weed. On a lawn you'd want to be careful not to dig up the lawn with the tires. I pulled many trees over the years with a little "B" Alis Chalmers and an "H" Farmall.

Thanks Kenn and Bill.

The lawn itself is not sod of any kind, just a complete mess of green weeds and sporadic grass chunks from years-old seeding if I had to guess.

Not too worried about messing it up, so I'm going to consider using the tractor. I guess as long as the chain was long enough and secured well to the trunk it would be OK.

I’m a 65 year old woman and feel confident I could get enough of those stumps out by hand myself! I’d have them cut as flush as possible in order to minimize the weight of the pieces you’ll pry out. Then dig the soil to expose roots that you can cut with a good saw. (Keep cleaning the blade so you don’t ruin it). Axe and crowbar to hack chip pry and lift chunks out til you can smooth soil over what’s left. Cut suckers thst appear later. You’re welcome:D

Just wrap the chain around the trunk a couple of times so it "bites" into the wood. And not at the bottom. Mid way up the trunk, so you get some leverage. And be careful so the top doesn't 'swat' you. It can take a few tries in several directions. Oaks are the most anchored and hardest, spruce are super easy.

first .... stump killer is applied to the cambium layers of the cut stump ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cambium+layer&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images

its the vascular system of the tree.. and it will draw the killer down into the root mass ...

its of no use to drill holes in the center wood and apply stump killer to said wood ....

it is also not a product which will aid in decomposition of the interior wood ... unless you can link me to some new product of which i am unaware ...

i have heard of drilling holes.. and inserting 100% nitrogen fert ... and that can speed decomposition ... but it still takes years ... IF enough water is present ....

second ... if you need/want the exercise ... get a tree blade for your sawzall .... sharpen your shovel ... and just start digging ... i like the idea of leaving 3 or 4 feet of trunk for leverage ... and just go to town on it ... i was young once ... lol .. i did such things.. also helpful if you have a couple strapping young men around who will work for food ...

i also had a friend who once pulled the bumper off his rusted old truck ... and he being a highly educated engineer.. wasnt going to listen to me about the tree beating rust ... lol ...

an ID can easily be had here.. with some pix of the leaves .... along with a scale ...

perhaps the tipped over one ... was severely pot bound at planting .. read that: improperly planted.. and might be the easiest to get out ...

ken

+1 on pulling the stumps. 8" cal isn't that big. We avoid grinding whenever we can, preferring to pull the stumps. Most stumps only get ground to 12" or so below grade, which still leaves a good bit of material behind that always seems to be right where you want to plant something else.

I'll probably do this mid-January so I'm going to update how it all works out.

I really appreciate all the great advice everyone has willingly provided!

There are helpful or easy ways to do it! Happy to share these 4 Effective Methods on How to Remove A Tree Stump.