# Removing trees, need advice -- how much trunk to leave to facilitate stump removal



## Rav (Dec 7, 2011)

We have five dead skyrocket juniper trees that we want to cut down (see attached pics). They're about 10 feet tall, and the trunk at the base is about 1.5-2" in diameter. The stumps and roots will be removed at a later date. Whether I remove the stumps or have someone else do it, how much of the trunk should I leave protruding out of the ground to make that process easier? Thanks.


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## Robpo (Mar 30, 2014)

It depends on what you are going to remove them with. I would leave them as long as you can until you know.


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## Rav (Dec 7, 2011)

Robpo said:


> It depends on what you are going to remove them with. I would leave them as long as you can until you know.


I'm going to cut down the trees with an electric saw. I've never removed tree stumps before, so I don't know how difficult it is but I expect it's harder than I think. If I did it myself I suppose I'd dig a trench around each trunk with a shovel and then start yanking. But I may decide to have a pro do it because I've had back problems in the past. If I have someone else do it, I don't know if the stumps are large enough to warrant a grinder.

At any rate, we want to remove the bulk of the trees now because they are so unsightly. If I leave a foot of trunk protruding from the ground for each tree, is that enough to cover whatever way the stumps get removed?


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## Indepspirit (Apr 30, 2014)

Rav said:


> I'm going to cut down the trees with an electric saw. I've never removed tree stumps before, so I don't know how difficult it is but I expect it's harder than I think. If I did it myself I suppose I'd dig a trench around each trunk with a shovel and then start yanking. But I may decide to have a pro do it because I've had back problems in the past. If I have someone else do it, I don't know if the stumps are large enough to warrant a grinder.
> 
> At any rate, we want to remove the bulk of the trees now because they are so unsightly. If I leave a foot of trunk protruding from the ground for each tree, is that enough to cover whatever way the stumps get removed?


If you are going to pull or dig them out by hand then you will want enough of a stump left so you can get some leverage. So yes a foot or two would be best. If you are going to remove them by grinding, burning or chemical means then you want to cut the stump as close to the ground as possible. Since you are unsure of how or when you are going to remove them I would leave a couple of feet sticking up. If you hire someone and they want to grind it out they will just cut of the excess before they start grinding.


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## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

Those are not so hard to dig out.


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## Robpo (Mar 30, 2014)

Rav said:


> I'm going to cut down the trees with an electric saw. *I've never removed tree stumps before, so I don't know how difficult it is but I expect it's harder than I think.* If I did it myself I suppose I'd dig a trench around each trunk with a shovel and then start yanking. But I may decide to have a pro do it because I've had back problems in the past. If I have someone else do it, I don't know if the stumps are large enough to warrant a grinder.
> 
> At any rate, we want to remove the bulk of the trees now because they are so unsightly. If I leave a foot of trunk protruding from the ground for each tree, is that enough to cover whatever way the stumps get removed?


 I have, when I was younger, your right, is a lot harder than you think. Now I use the backhoe.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

I wouldn't cut them at all. I'd dig around them and cut the roots below grade. You'll have the entire length of the tree as leverage. After they were loose, I'd cut the trunks into manageable lengths to get rid of them. Trying to pull them will likely destroy your flagstone walkway.


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## Rav (Dec 7, 2011)

Followup: The key word that a few of you used was leverage. What I did was cut each tree about 7 feet up. Then, using those 7 feet of leverage, I bent the tree down in four directions, loosening up the root ball until it was part way out of the ground. Then pulled what roots I could without breaking them (most came out, but a few broke way down). Cut each tree up into car-trunk-sized pieces and am now in the process of taking them to the recycling station. I'll do more prep work before I plant anything else there, but for now the area is nice and flat, with no stumps. Thanks for everybody's help!


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