What Is Left After the Tree
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The Tree's Gone. Now the Stump.
Around Columbus, Nebraska, a stump usually outlasts any plan for it. It catches the mower deck, sends up cottonwood or Siberian elm sprouts by June, and after a few wet springs goes soft and fills with carpenter ants.
Platte Valley Tree Co. grinds it below grade so the spot can be seeded, fenced or poured over. Stumps from our own removals go on the same visit, and we will gladly take on the one another crew left behind years ago.
Where We Work
Stump grinding reaches every place we remove trees, from Octavia and Rogers to the acreages along the Loup Power canal. See every town we serve →
The grinder rides on the trailer behind the truck, so your stump usually goes the same afternoon as the tree: one trip, one line on the estimate. Want to see how the yard settles first? We cut it low and return later.
A borer-killed ash cut to knee height and forgotten, or a row of stumps a storm crew left along the drive before heading back down US-30. Bur oak and black walnut stay hard for years, so we price by the wood, not the age.
Bur oak, hackberry, black walnut and honeylocust are dense and slow. Cottonwood grinds easily, but an old river-bottom stump can run five or six feet across the flare. Silver maple spreads roots just under the sod. Dead ash, Siberian elm, redcedar and Austrian pine often crumble at the first pass.
Our standard pass leaves the stump four to six inches under the grass, plenty for seed or sod. If a shed pad, fence post or drive is going there, or silver maple roots must leave the mowing line, we go deeper and chase them, priced on a separate line.
Cost Planning
| Job | Typical cost range |
|---|---|
| Single stump (by diameter) | $100–$400 |
| Each additional stump | $50–$150 |
| Surface-root chasing / deep grind | $75–$200 extra |
Ranges are typical for east-central Nebraska based on published industry cost guides; your written estimate reflects your specific tree and site.
We measure diameter at ground level, flare included, so a cottonwood that reads 30 inches at the cut can measure 50 where the teeth work. Species, buried lines, gate width and the stump count move the price too. A stump added to one of our removals gets the additional-stump rate.
Platte-valley sandy loam is nearly stone-free and easy on teeth. What it hides is pipe: old irrigation lines, abandoned well casing, drain tile and shallow sprinklers. We ask what is buried, call Nebraska 811 for a locate every time, and trace the cottonwood root plate with you before pricing.
A grinder throws chips hard. Guards stay down, the area is cleared, and our liability coverage stands behind your siding and windows. We are registered with the City under § 96.11 and carry the insurance certificate to every estimate.
Diameter, species and depth are agreed before we start. Whether the wheel needs twenty minutes or two hours, the written number holds.
The hole is backfilled and raked for seed, and unwanted grindings leave with us, since the City does not collect stumps or chips. For a former boulevard tree, § 96.06 asks for a replacement or a City Clerk payment, and a flush grind makes room for the new tree.
How It Works
You can, but it rarely stays tidy. Cottonwood, Siberian elm and silver maple stumps sprout for years, and dead ash stumps rot fast and draw carpenter ants. A bur oak or hackberry stump just sits in the mowing line for a decade. Our Tree Diagnosis tool gives a quick read.
Your choice. Most people keep them as backfill, mounded a little high, because chips and sandy loam settle into a dip by fall. If you would rather lose them, we haul them. We never leave chips at the curb or a log pile kids can climb, which § 92.03(J) treats as an attractive nuisance.
Usually. The wheel can work within inches of a post, walk or foundation with the guard on the house side. Septic, well, gas and water lines get located first. A stump in the boulevard strip is a street-tree matter under § 96.05, so we confirm with Public Works before grinding.
Have a stump in the way? Call or request a free estimate.
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