How To Remove A Tree Stump With Chainsaw

In this article, I will teach you how to remove a tree stump with a chainsaw.

A chainsaw has become one of the most popular tree-cutting tools. Unsurprisingly so, as they are fast and effective. They are also moderately priced, and pretty much anyone can use them.

Besides felling a tree, you can also use them to remove the stump and cut up its roots.

Stay with me.

How To Cut A Stump With A Chainsaw

Follow these steps and your tree stump will be gone in no time!

First Step: Wear Personal Protection Gear

This step should be a no-brainer, unfortunately, many people ignore it.

A chainsaw is a pretty dangerous tool, thanks to its very sharp blade and teeth that cut with deadly accuracy. For this reason, you need to be careful when handling it.

Many may not know this but according to statistics, about 40% of chainsaw accidents occur around the leg area and 35% happen around the hand and wrist areas.

For this reason, you should put on a pair of thick leather gloves that can cover as close to your elbow as possible. Also, put on a couple of rugged boots to protect your feet.

Be sure to put on a pair of goggles to protect your eyes from flying wood clippings, as these could cause eye injuries.

You will also need to protect your ears from the noise so that some earplugs can come in handy.

Second Step: Cut The Stump As Low To The Ground As You Possibly Can

This should be quite an easy task to accomplish. It will require a little bit of patience because rushing the cuts could lead to an accident. Take it slow and steady.

Applying too much pressure on the chainsaw can cause the chainsaw blade to bind or a hard kickback. On the flip side, using too little pressure will not allow you to get deep enough into the stump.

Be sure to cut any protruding branches you find. The lower you can cut the stump to the ground, the easier it would be to deal with the roots.

When this is done, you can remove the roots from the soil.

Third Step:  Shovel Dirt Away From The Stump

To get a clear view of the roots of the stump, then you must grab your shovel and dig. Yeah, I know, it’s a long and exhausting process, but it has to be done.

Dig to expose all of the roots of the tree stump. This will require digging a few feet beneath the soil and several feet away from the stump’s base.

This stage is the most labor-intensive, requiring a significant amount of physical effort.

Digging up the roots could take a whole day if you decide to take on the task yourself. It would take less time if you had an extra set of hands helping you out.

Fourth Step: Cut The Roots

Cutting tree roots is also a straightforward task, but it would be impossible to do so if they aren’t properly exposed. This is why the 3rd step is critical, even though it’s tough.

Here’s how to cut tree roots with a chainsaw.

All you will need here is your chainsaw. Use it to cut the roots into small pieces and gather them up. This must be done only after the soil around the sources has been dug up, leaving the roots exposed.

Do not attempt to cut the roots if they are not properly exposed, as doing that will damage the teeth of your chainsaw.

Be sure to cut up all the parts of the roots you can find.

Fifth Step: Pull The Stump Loose

All the hard work isn’t over just yet. After the roots have been cut up, you still need to pull out the stump. Don’t worry. This is the last labor-intensive phase of the job.

You will need some digging bars (or landscaping bars) to get the tree stump. Digging bars are levers that allow you to pry and raise the stump out of the soil.

Remember, the tree has probably been planted there for a long time, so don’t expect it to come off quickly. You need to exert a tremendous force for this but be patient. It will surely come off. Apply the required pressure, and your work is done!

Sixth Step: Disposing Of The Stump

I don’t assume you would want to leave the stump there after doing all that hard work. This step should be easy.

The tree stump will be heavy, but you can quickly dispose of it by cutting it up into smaller pieces with your chainsaw and loading them onto a wheelbarrow.

You can grind up the stump and the remaining branches and use them as mulch for the rest of your garden or use the cut-up parts for firewood.

There are also recycling centers around your area that may need it. You can contact me to come over and take it away. They’ll do this free of charge.

Now that we’ve learned how to cut a tree stump with a chainsaw give me a few reasons it is necessary.

Reasons For Getting Rid Of Tree Stump

All the hard work involved in cutting a tree stump may be tiring, and the thought of the stress alone could discourage you. But maybe the reasons I will list below will let you see the importance of carrying out this energy-consuming task.

They are ugly: The beauty of your garden or yard will be compromised if there’s an unsightly tree stump sticking out of the ground.

I’m sure you’d love to host barbeque parties now and then or take family photos in your yard. An ugly tree stump will do no justice to those parties or those pictures.

They make yard work hard: When you have a tree stump sticking out of the ground, mowing your lawn will become even more difficult, as the stump will be nothing more than just an annoying obstacle.

Raking up dirt and replanting will also be challenging if you have a stump in the way. Ridding your garden of it is the logical thing to do.

They attract pests & insects: An old decayed tree stump will serve as a home for pests and insects of all sorts. These pests will live there, eat there, and breed there.

If you want to have a pest-free yard, then removing the stump is the wise thing to do. Other than that, prepare yourself for some new, unwanted neighbors.

Before I forget, pests attracted to your old stump can easily move to the other trees in your yard. This is not in the best interest of your trees, as problems are known to cause all sorts of damage to healthy trees.

They can cause accidents: No one is spared from the accidents a tree stump can cause. Children are more prone to tree stump accidents as they are the ones who are most likely to do all the running and playing in the yard.

Tree stumps in a yard have led to many broken toes since you can accidentally strike your feet against them. Most times, such incidences occur at night when visibility is poor.

Advantages Of Removing Tree Stump With A Chainsaw

As difficult as you may find this tree stump removal technique, it comes with some advantages. They are listed below.

COMPARE: Echo Vs. Stihl Chainsaws

You can do it alone: You don’t need many hands to cut up your tree stump with a chainsaw. You can do it all by yourself, it may take a while, but you’ll get it done eventually.

No need for heavy machinery: All you will need to remove a tree stump with a chainsaw is the chainsaw and a shovel, of course. You will have no use for backhoes or stump grinders which take up a lot of space and are heavy to move around.

The chainsaw can easily be carried around and put away after use.

It is cost-effective: If you were to buy or rent a stump grinder, you would be spending a lot of money. Buying or renting a chainsaw is significantly cheaper, this makes using a chainsaw for tree stump removal an excellent cost-effective option.

Disadvantages of Removing Tree Stumps With A Chainsaw

Some inconveniences come with cutting a large tree stump with a chainsaw. These are listed below.

It requires too much effort: All the digging and sawing can be tiring. If you do not intend to exert so much physical energy, this method may not be the best.

It takes time: Unlike using a stump grinder, you could spend as much as a whole day digging and cutting up a tree stump with a chainsaw.

Conclusion

There you have it, that’s how to remove a tree stump with a chainsaw.

I trust this has been helpful.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *