3 Reasons to Remove Stumps

3 Important Reasons to Remove Tree Stumps in Your Yard 

Leaving a stump after a tree has been cut down will leave you with issues of 

safety and liability, unwanted tree growth, and insect infestation. These are three 

important reasons to remove the tree stumps in your yard. Another issue with tree 

stumps is they create an unsightly yard appearance. 

Liability 

One of the important reasons is the liability issue. Children playing in the yard 

where a stump has been left run a risk of serious injury, and children running fast 

may not notice that stump. Visitors may trip over roots growing out from the stump. 

Anyone moving about in the yard during the dark is at risk of tripping over the 

uneven terrain. A backyard party could wind up with a guest being hurt by tripping 

over a tree stump they didn’t see. Soil around the stump can settle, leaving 

depressions in the ground that can cause trip-and-fall injuries. No one wants a 

guest, friend or family member to be injured, and the liability issues arising from an 

Injury can be difficult to deal with. 

Continued Growth 

Another reason is that cutting down a tree does not prevent the stump from 

generating new growth. This new growth will also cause the roots to continue 

growing, which can be destructive to the yard, to cement, or sewer lines. This new 

growth will also sap nutrients from the ground, causing the lawn or other 

surrounding plant life to suffer. Grass is the plant life most vulnerable to the 

problems caused by this continued growth. The grass will often die from lack of 

water, and any attempt to water it will only provide more water to the new growth 

from the stump. The grass will continue to disappear, while the stump’s spread will worsen. 

Pests 

Tree stumps attract insects and other vermin. Termites are a particularly 

destructive insect that can move to the home when they have grown too large in 

number to be confined to the stump. Although live trees can also be susceptible to 

disease and infestations, tree stumps are especially vulnerable. When a tree 

stump harbors disease, it is likely that the disease will spread to live trees. 

Having a decapitated tree sitting in your yard is sort of like having an open, 

festering wound. Infections spread. Bacteria spread. Tending to this wound in your 

yard will benefit the health of all greenery that surrounds it. 

Grinding a Stump 

The smartest move is to grind the stump, and remove the root system supporting 

it. Because the stump grinder gets at the wood below the surface of the soil, the 

grinding process makes absolutely sure that the stump will not re-sprout with what 

is called “suckering growth.” Sucker pruning, which is tending to any latent growth 

from the left-behind stump, is an endless, pointless task that you do not want to 

add to your list of yard-maintenance chores. Get it out and be done with it.