Municipal stump grinding specs?

[Dadatwins]

Do any of the contractors that work for municipal entity have any stump grinding specs that they use? And if you are a municipal arborist/manager working for a city/county do you require specs for stump grinding? I am interested if anyone is using a specific grinding depth for tree pits that are scheduled to be replanted. Thanks.

 

[BC WetCoast]

The few times I've ground for a municipality, it has been 6-8" depth, remove all excess mulch, supply 3" of topsoil and seed. I've never had to grind for tree replacement, although I tend to grind deeper than spec anyway. I would rather grind deeper than come back because I haven't gone deep enough.

 

[Curbside]

For doing tree replacement I did not work directly for the city but rather for a contractor who bid on tree replacement. The grinding had to be 22-24" deep to allow another basket to be placed in the well. I required all utilities to be marked and if any were within the 1 meter had to be hydro vac to the utility.

For citys that I have worked for directly I have not done any specific specs. Usually grind 8-10" unless specifically requested for deeper. All utilillities are marked by the city.

 

[troytreeclimber]

I am the City Forester for Troy, Ohio. We do not have specific regulations for stump grinding depth. I usually grind anywhere from 6"-10". I use our stump grinder to make holes for replacement trees where a tree had previously been so I don't worry about grinding very deep when I am taking out stumps. In Troy it is the homeowner's responsibility to dig out the chips, add dirt, and seed.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

our spec

8'' deep, fill hole with grinding material, remove excess.

 

[Dadatwins]

8'' deep, fill hole with grinding material, remove excess.

I ask the question because it has come up in my city division. The city has no specific depth for stump grinding. The city crews/me usually grind to depth of 15" - 18" and backfill with the grindings/dirt. The excess is removed. This will allow a new ball & burlapped tree to be placed in the hole when ready. The issue has come up because a contractor only grinds down 8-10" backfills with chips/dirt and puts topsoil on top of that. The problem comes in when a tree has to be replanted in that spot, the hole usually has to be reground out deeper by the planting contractor or city crews. Since the city is now having to pay a contractor again to regrind the stumps when a tree is planted or send city crews to do again, I made the suggestion that if there were a specific depth spec in inches for stump grinding we could avoid paying twice and have the job done correctly the first time, and have a standard set for all stump grinding. Management feels it would to be restrictive to set a standard and all sites are not replanted, so why pay for the extra grinding. I counter this thinking by saying that the removal inspection should include a determination if the spot will be replanted. If it is replant spot, deep grind. if not shallow. They also feel it should be planting contractor responsibilty to prepare the hole, but in my experience that adds cost to the tree installation. Again if it is done right the first time, it is complete.
Am I that far off here or what?

 

[Jumper]

The few times I've ground for a municipality, it has been 6-8" depth, remove all excess mulch, supply 3" of topsoil and seed. I've never had to grind for tree replacement, although I tend to grind deeper than spec anyway. I would rather grind deeper than come back because I haven't gone deep enough.

That more or less describes the jobs we did for the City of Ottawa back 2001/2002.

 

[Curbside]

Dadatwins


The way you describe it is exactly what happens with what I was saying. The tree dies it is taken down by a city crew and stumped by a city crew to a depth of 4-6 inches. The city tenders replanting contracts and then they have to be reqround of course now with who ever has won that contract. Inefficent yes but when has a city ever been efficent? Cities seem to be only worried about their current budget never the one in the future.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

I counter this thinking by saying that the removal inspection should include a determination if the spot will be replanted. If it is replant spot, deep grind. if not shallow. They also feel it should be planting contractor responsibilty to prepare the hole, but in my experience that adds cost to the tree installation. Again if it is done right the first time, it is complete.
Am I that far off here or what?

This is a good way of looking at it. For my money 8'' is about right for a replant site, we plant with backhoes anyway, have never had a conflict. We also include stump grinding as a line item in our planting contract in case a stump is left in a pit from an emergency or whatever.

Dude, if management thinks its a good idea, let 'em. Its not our money right?

 

[troytreeclimber]

It's your money if your a tax payer!

It makes sense to have a set standard to avoid costing more money in the future. Thankfully I don't run into this problem since we handle all removals and replacements in house.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

They also feel it should be planting contractor responsibility to prepare the hole, but in my experience that adds cost to the tree installation.

Contact a few of the planting contractors and ask what the;

• average extra cost to prep holes is when a root mass is found
• desired dimension of planting pit

As stated, not all stumps need to be ground, if it is a small tree you could go 6-8 inches and be to soil. I big elm could have woody mass down 3 feet.

If the stumper is not prepping for replant, then he is just reducing trip/fall hazard and should grind to 4 inches and backfill.

 

[BC WetCoast]

If you are looking for the very deep grinding ie 18"+ then you are limiting the number of machines available to do the job. For example a Vermeer 352 can only go down 14". Now you are probably limiting the number of potential bidders therefore higher prices.

I would agree that you should identify which stumps have to be ground for tree replacement at the removal stage and maybe package those stumps in one contract and the remainder as a second.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

It's your money if your a tax payer!

.

I'm sure you meant: It's your money if YOU ARE (or YOU'RE) a taxpayer. And I am

What I am basically saying is specs are great and all, but there are always grey areas that cannot be covered no matter how well they are written.

Because of this thread I checked in with the guys who work for me on our planting contracts. They claim that most often there are no problems with replanting, but when there is an especially big,deep stump it is a real PITA. We have decided to increase the grinding spec to 10in and see what happens..........

 

[Dadatwins]

What I am basically saying is specs are great and all, but there are always grey areas that cannot be covered no matter how well they are written.

I agree, but we currently have NO specs for grinding, simply states remove stump for replant. The planting specs specify ball & burlap trees no less than 1.5 caliper which I estimate will have at least a 12-15" ball on it so I suggested that should be the minimum grinding depth to coincide the application. I also agree that smaller trees will not need to be ground as far and larger ones will need additional grinding. I just felt there should be a starting point listed. Understand that no city is efficient but it is frustrating when you work for them and see the waste in front of you. Thanks for the responses.

 

[diltree]

I'm sure you meant: It's your money if YOU ARE (or YOU'RE) a taxpayer. And I am

What I am basically saying is specs are great and all, but there are always grey areas that cannot be covered no matter how well they are written.

Because of this thread I checked in with the guys who work for me on our planting contracts. They claim that most often there are no problems with replanting, but when there is an especially big,deep stump it is a real PITA. We have decided to increase the grinding spec to 10in and see what happens..........

10"...WTF...this thread should be deleted.....how do you feel about 6"?

 

[BostonBull]

10"...WTF...this thread should be deleted.....how do you feel about 6"?

Awwww come on............

Get a bigger grinder 10-12" is nothing for the 1102a........... :greenchainsaw:

 

[diltree]

We own a vermeer 1102 turbo.......oh yeah

Its not grinding the stumps...its the cleanup

 

[John464]

I agree, but we currently have NO specs for grinding, simply states remove stump for replant.

same here. the only details I get from municipal is an email telling me where the stump(s) are at and to go do it and here is your purchase order number. They will state they want the stumps removed either for a new sidewalk or replanting. If it doesn't state the reason it is for aesthetic purposes. If its for new concrete or replanting we use our own judgement. Aesthetic, just low enough for grass. The county doesn't know as much we do about stump grinding so they leave it up to our judgement and we haven't encountered any problems. All they know is they want it gone.

 

[BostonBull]

We own a vermeer 1102 turbo.......oh yeah

Its not grinding the stumps...its the cleanup

Just busting your chops!

Tamp them down, with a 10" tamper. You would be surpised how well they compact and how much the hole will hold. The grindings are "fluffy" from the agitation.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Tamp them down, with a 10" tamper. You would be surpised how well they compact and how much the hole will hold. The grindings are "fluffy" from the agitation.

They are fluffy beccause you expanded the surface aarea of the woody mass by an order of magnitude.

One could also offer a lower bid on big stumps for the muni to come by with the Gradall or something to do the remove and backfill.

I knoww one guy wwho does big stumps and hauls around a mini excavator to dig out the hole. It looks likee it would cost more, being they have 2 dumps, a trailer, big TB stumper and the miniX. but the seed and volume 0make up for it. Debris goes into one, spoil dirt/cchip mulch mix comes out of the other. Two guys can get a lot done in a short amount off time.