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Yes, in most municipalities, arborists or tree surgeons need to hold an arborist’s license, which usually requires specialized education and specific experience. Certified arborists must also pass an exam from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). In addition to a license, you should always confirm that the tree surgeon you’re hiring is fully insured, as this can help you avoid legal problems if the professional gets injured on your property. Keep in mind that some municipalities require tree removal and other services to be completed by a licensed arborist.

It is possible to cut down a tree on your property yourself, but we don’t recommend it. If the tree is short enough to easily reach the top branches, and the tree is far from power lines or structures, consider renting a chainsaw and removing it yourself. Trees that are larger than that, close to electrical lines, or close to fences, homes, sheds, or other structures should only ever be removed by professionals. Not only is the work dangerous, but you could damage structures on your property in the process.

Stump grinding consists of removing the visible part of the stump, but the roots remain intact. Depending on the tree and root system, the roots may still grow after stump grinding. If you are concerned about root growth and damage, you may want to consider having a stump removed completely.

A tree can grow back from its stump, but full regrowth is unlikely (especially for more stubborn conifer trees). Instead, trees are more likely to send up a number of shoots from the dead stump, which will try to develop into primary stems over time. In other words, it will start to look increasingly bushy. The goal of killing and drying out a tree stump is to prevent that from happening, as well as make the stump easier to completely remove.