Of course, we are in the stump removal industry and we need stumps to remove to stay in business however this is not a hard sell post. This article is maybe more of an insight as to some of the reasons why our clients need their tree stumps removed in the urban environment.
From an ecological perspective, leaving tree stumps around the city is great, insects set up their home inside the stump and birds can feed on the insects. Win, win right? Well although feeding native birds is great, we must find a balance with ecological diversity and canopy cover in the city. Not to mention that tree stumps are usually cut just above ground level and can pose a tripping hazard to pedestrians or damage maintenance vehicles too. Stick with us here as we go through the reasons why it’s important to remove tree stumps in urban areas.
Probably the most common and important reason that we grind tree stumps at Proleaf is to enable a new tree to be planted. When trees are removed in small gardens, parks or city tree plots, there is a big push to remove the previous trees stump and plant a new tree. This is mainly because, in the city or urban environment, space and land is in short supply hence the fact that replacement has to happen in the same location. This is important to keep up city tree stock numbers, increase canopy cover and to keep the place looking good. If you visit some lesser developed cities in the world, you will notice that funding for stump removal or replanting just isn’t there. If stumps aren’t removed after trees have been cut down then we start to lose out on new planting opportunities. At the rate it would take the stumps to decompose naturally, it wouldn’t take too long until gardens or parks were just full of ugly stumps instead of new trees. With climate change in the spotlight more than ever, removing a tree stump to enable a new tree to grow is a good thing.
Of course, some would argue that we shouldn’t remove trees in the first place however in an urban area, this is simply not practical. Trees get old, stressed and go past the point of being useful in the urban environment. For instance why waste valuable growing years of a new tree, watching an old tree dilapidate and become a danger to the public. Good tree management practice is to maintain trees and remove/replace when the time is right. It can be devastating in some situations having to lose trees that do wonders for our environment but if tree removal is inevitable, remove the stumps and incorporate replanting. Some trees can seem like a nuisance to some people with leaf debris or root damage hence why picking the right tree for the right spot is important.
Removing tree stumps in urban areas is extremely important to stop people tripping over them or causing damage to lawnmowers or other vehicles. Yes! It is quite common for someone to trip over a tree stump! They blend in with the ground around them and can give you a stumbling surprise if you aren’t looking where you are going. In the day and age where we are all distracted by mobile devices whilst walking around, tripping over a tree stump on the street is highly possible. This is why property owners have a responsibility to have these stumps removed before things like this happen, especially in high foot traffic areas. Places such as schools or hospitals are audited for things like tripping hazards and stumps are commonly a hazard.
If you have ever hit something with a lawnmower such as a tree root or a rock, then you will know that it’s less than ideal. Tree stumps are great at hiding under grass or leaves and are usually solid as a rock. Hitting a tree stump with a vehicle or machinery could cause major damage. Not only will this damage be expensive to repair, it can be avoided by hiring a stump removal service. Hitting tree stumps with machinery could also be unsafe to the machine operators too.
Tree stumps can make a great home for bugs, small mammals or even reptiles. This is all very well in the natural landscape but could cause problems in a built-up area. Especially if you have young children or pets. This may not be such a worry in a rural area but in the urban environment, it is better to have a tree stump removed. Termites, snakes, rats and wasps are all examples of creatures that may choose to inhabit a tree stump on your property. Also decaying wood in the garden can attract diseases or fungus such as Ganoderma. This can spread to living trees or shrubs and cause unnecessary problems.
Hopefully, this article has highlighted some of the reasons why it is best to remove tree stumps in urban areas and what responsibilities property owners have. If you are looking for a tree stump removal specialist in Melbourne, Victoria then you know where to find us.
Thanks for reading!
