Should You Remove Or Leave Stumps During Forestry Mulching?
Forestry mulching will essentially clear your land, except for tree stumps, which need to be removed separately. If healthy, they can be mulched as well, but in some cases, leaving the stumps has some benefits for the land in the short and long-term. You've got to weigh those benefits against the potential problems that the stumps can cause so that you can give the mulching company the right instructions.
Allowing Healthy Regrowth
One benefit of leaving healthy tree stumps on cleared land is that, depending on the species, they may start to regrow. The stump won't suddenly elongate into a full trunk, but the stump will send up shoots that, over time, will become full trees again. If you've got species that will regrow this way, and the stumps are healthy, leaving the stumps could be the right move.
Decaying Stumps
A stump left in the ground is not a problem by itself. It can, however, lead to secondary problems if not handled correctly. One of these is that the roots can form a trip hazard, but if the stump is out in land that is not really cultivated, passersby generally know to look for things like that. However, the other risk is that the stump could begin to decay and attract pests that like to live in rotting wood. These pests could infest nearby trees or stumps left with the intent to let them grow again. If the stumps you have on the land that's undergoing forestry mulching show any signs of infestation or rot, you may want to have them totally removed.
Additional Erosion Control
Stumps are often left untouched during forestry mulching because the roots form a type of protection against erosion. If the stumps on your land are not diseased, and there were no indications of pest problems on the land that could infest the stumps, leaving the stumps in place could be a beneficial move. You will have to look out for future pest problems and shoot regrowth if shoot regrowth is not something you want. But if erosion is a major risk for your land, monitoring for and removing shoots from the stumps is a small price to pay for the defense that the stumps' roots will provide.
Forestry mulching allows you to clear the land of plant life that may be headed for more trouble, such as dry underbrush that is a fire risk. When trees are involved, you have an additional opportunity to protect the land from eroding away, but you have to make your decisions carefully given the type of trees they are and the conditions they're in. Stumps can be both beneficial and problematic. If you're not sure what the best courses of action would be for each stump, you can discuss them with the mulching company.
For more information, contact a local forestry mulching company.
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