There is a distinct rhythm to tree surgery in the summer. As the team at North Cheshire Forestry Services loaded up the trucks at our yard in Marple this June morning, the weather was doing what June in the North West does best: offering a mix of heavy showers and sudden, brilliant bursts of warm sunshine.
For today’s job, we were taking the short drive down the A6 into Disley. Nestled right on the edge of the Peak District, Disley is home to some beautiful, established gardens, but the undulating terrain and damp climate mean that stumps left behind can linger for years if they aren’t dealt with properly. Our task was to grind out two persistent conifer stumps that were currently taking up valuable space in a residential garden. With the weather fluctuating between rain and shine, we knew we’d need to work efficiently to keep the lawn in good shape while getting the job done.
When we arrived at the property, a brief shower was just passing over. While great for the garden, this left the grass quite wet. Operating heavy machinery on wet lawns requires extra care. If you just roll a heavy stump grinder across damp turf, you risk leaving deep ruts that can take months to heal.
We took the time to assess the access path and laid down protective ground boards where necessary to distribute the weight of our equipment. Along with our pedestrian stump grinder, we unloaded our chainsaws, fuel, rakes, shovels, and heavy duty barrier screens.
Conifers are incredibly popular in Cheshire for quick privacy, but once they are felled, their root systems remain dense and stubborn. These two stumps were positioned in a spot where the homeowner was hoping to replant, but the sprawling roots stood firmly in the way. Before turning a key, we did our standard sweep of the area, checking for hidden stones or bricks that might have been swallowed up by the soil around the base of the trees over the years.
The two stumps presented slightly different challenges. The first of the pair had been cut down somewhat high during the initial felling, leaving about a foot of solid, fibrous conifer trunk standing above the soil.
Trying to tackle a high stump directly with a stump grinder isn’t the best approach. The grinding wheel works most efficiently when it can sweep side to side across a flat, low profile. Working it against a high, vertical block of wood places unnecessary wear on the machinery and takes twice as long.
As a brief window of warm June sunshine broke through the clouds, I fired up the chainsaw to reduce the stump. Cutting into seasoned conifer always releases a strong, resinous pine aroma which felt particularly fresh in the damp summer air. I made a clean cut to take the top section off, bringing the stump down to within a couple of inches of the ground. The offcut was set aside to be processed, leaving us with a much safer and more manageable starting point for the grinder.
With the chainsaw work complete, the clouds rolled back in, and a light shower began to fall. In some ways, a bit of rain is actually helpful when grinding; it dampens down the wood dust, stopping it from drifting too far on the breeze.
I fired up the stump grinder and maneuvered it into position over the first stump. The machine is equipped with a heavy steel cutting wheel to shred the stumps. As the engine hummed, I engaged the drive and lowered the spinning wheel onto the wood, sweeping it slowly from side to side.
As the teeth bit into the conifer, a steady mixture of damp woodchips and dark Disley soil began to spray from the wheel, caught by the machine’s heavy rubber guards and our protective screens. We worked the machine down into the ground, grinding well below the surface to ensure the main crown of the root system was completely destroyed. This depth is vital because it ensures that any lateral roots won’t interfere with future digging or planting.
Once the first stump was reduced to a steaming pile of fresh mulch, the sun broke through the clouds again, warming the garden up instantly. I moved the grinder over to the second, lower stump and repeated the process, carefully chasing the thickest root spurs outward until the ground was completely clear of solid timber.
Many people assume the hardest part of the job is the grinding itself, but at North Cheshire Forestry Services, we believe a job is only as good as the clean up.
Grinding out two stumps produces a surprisingly large volume of mulch. Because the timber is shredded and mixed with soil, it expands significantly. The rain had made the mulch damp and heavy, which actually made it easier to manage with a shovel without it blowing around the garden.
I took a heavy spring rake and a shovel to begin reinstating the ground. I backfilled the holes with the fine organic mix produced by the grinder, packing it down firmly so it wouldn’t sink later on. I then graded the remaining soil back neatly to level off the area so it sat flush with the rest of the garden’s natural contours.
To finish off, I gave the entire work area a proper tidying up. I swept down the nearby paving, raked up any stray twigs, and used the blower to clear away the last remnants of sawdust from the grass.
By the time we loaded the equipment back onto the truck, the sun was fully out again, drying off the garden and showing off the completed work. Where two awkward, unsightly conifer stumps had stood that morning, there was now only neat, flat soil.
The garden looked spacious, clean, and ready for whatever the homeowner had lined up next. It was a classic morning of summer tree surgery, dodging the showers, enjoying the sunshine, and leaving another local garden in great shape.
If you have some old stumps on your property in Disley, Marple, or the wider Cheshire area that are getting in the way of your garden plans, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team at North Cheshire Forestry Services. We’re always here to help you get your garden back to how you want it.
About the author