Tree Stump and new tree

[bilbrelb]

Well, I lost a very nice maple shade tree in front of my house during Ohio wind storm. I now have stump I want to grind up. About 21" diameter.

In order to plant new tree over top of old location, do I need to totally remove the stump so the roots can go down on new tree or can I grind up most of it low under ground and then plant on top?

Should I have stump pulled instead?

Thanks

[Bumblerazz]

too bad about the tree. maples are great to have in your yard.

if you're going to put the tree in exactly the same spot then, yes, the old stump has to be removed.

I personally would grind the stump down to 6" or so below the level of the grass and plant the new tree 2' or 3' away from this spot. by the time the new tree is big enough to need the space, the old roots will have eroded away.

You can pull the stump out, but keep in mind that the root system grows out quite far, out as far as the branches. maples also have quite a deep centre that makes cutting the major roots to remove the stump a real b****! a trunk at 21" is mature enough to be a real headache for removal. there are tree companies that have root removal trucks, but they can be relatively expensive.