Pushing
Sites where heavy equipment can be used and not compact the soil or damage the landscape features, can have stumps physically pushed out of the ground. Stump pushing or clearance is a process used in initial development clearance of forested sites and on commercial campuses where no landscape work has commenced but large equipment is available. Whole tree take-down with stump extraction can be done effectively at the same time. A blade on a heavy tractor can be elevated and used to push a tree or tall stump until the lean from broken roots is clear. The next step is to drop the blade and push under the root ball while lifting with the blade until the tree topples exposing the woody roots and root collar. Two stump removal procedures associated with heavy equipment use and serious site disruption are root raking and stump splitting. Root raking uses a heavy piece of equipment for pushing or pulling a heavy steel blade or rake with tines. The tines allow most of the soil to drop away but gathers and breaks large roots and stumps. Stump splitting uses an excavator with a heavy steel hooked point to pierce and yank upward on stumps. The intent of stump splitting is to break the stump into several pieces by separating and splitting the wood between major roots.

Stump Removal Methods (see full text) Author: Dr. Kim D. Coder - Copyright June 2003 Published by: Warnell School, School of Forest Resources University of Georgia. Used with Permission. Reproduction in any form and/or redistribution by any means is a violation of copyright laws.

Decisions, Decisions
What is Best?
Ecological Values
Soil Subsidence
Future Site Use
Conclusions