Removing Two Silver Maple Trees Beside Power Lines in Chester, MD

A client in Chester, MD recently contacted us to remove two decaying Silver Maple trees from his front yard. Because they were in the Critical Area, we secured a permit for the tree removal from Queen Anne's County on their behalf. The trees were located beside power lines and the electric service drop line. After carefully maneuvering the bucket to avoid any contact with the lines, both trees were safely removed, and the stumps were ground.

When stump grinding is performed, the grindings take up much more space than the stump did and therefore the homeowner is left with a large, mounded pile of wood chips/grindings. Depending on the size of the stump, that can mean a lot of mulch. We recommend the grindings be left mounded over the hole and allow it time to backfill the hole and settle. Afterwards, the excess can be removed to mulch flowerbeds, walkways, gardens (just don't mix it in the soil). Obsessedlawn.com offers the following ideas for using the stump grindings:

Paths- Lay on areas where walking is needed, which reduces compaction and prevents puddles during rainy seasons

Garden Beds- Place 1 to 3 inches of mulch around plants in garden beds, which retains moisture, cools soil from direct sun, suppresses weeds, and discourages pests

High Traffic Areas- Place on areas of the lawn where bare earth is exposed, or pets and children play regularly to prevent turf death and stop invasive weeds from entering while reducing compaction and reducing ruts and grooves in the soil

Erosion Control- leave the mulch in areas where water moves through quickly, such as under downspouts or in gullies to keep soil in place and prevent large gullies and erosion damage from forming

Inoculate with Mushrooms- Apply wood-loving spores to the chopped-up stump and mulch chippings to create a large network of mycelium that will aid other plants nearby and break up any remaining woody material in the soil