A retired logger near Spokane convinced me to stop hating on stump grinders

I always thought stump grinders were just a lazy shortcut. Then this old timer named Gary let me follow him for a day back in June. He showed me how grinding a 40 inch oak stump right down to 6 inches below grade let him plant a new apple tree in the exact same spot the next spring. He said 'roots are just memories, you gotta make room for new ones.' That stuck with me. Has anyone else had a mentor flip your opinion on a tool you thought was pointless?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma9613d ago

Alright Gary take it easy, it's just a stump.

mark_green13d ago

Come on, a stump is a major hazard! That thing could trip kids, wreck a lawnmower blade, or harbor pests like termites. I spent a whole weekend once digging out a foot-wide maple stump with a pickaxe and a lot of swearing because leaving it felt half-done. The satisfaction of pulling that last root out of the ground was worth every sore muscle the next day. Ignoring it just lets the problem get worse when it rots and becomes a muddy hole you have to fill later. Pretending it's harmless is ignoring what happens when you let small things slide.

jessem5913d ago

Does anyone else's brain immediately jump to that scene in The Incredibles where Bob just needs to feel useful again? Tbh I get the impulse even if it's totally overblown. Ngl I spent three hours last weekend trying to fix a crooked picture frame when I should have just left it alone.