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The fastest ways to remove a tree stump are by grinding it or burning it.

Stump grinding is often the quickest method, with professionals able to chip away a stump and its roots within a single session. You have the option to hire a professional stump removal service or rent a stump grinder to do it yourself. However, it's important to note that these machines can be large, difficult to transport, and dangerous to operate without prior experience. For safety reasons, hiring a local arborist or landscape specialist is often recommended.

Burning is another fast option. Before you begin, check your local burn laws. The process involves drilling holes into the stump, filling them with vegetable oil, and waiting 24 to 48 hours. Afterward, you can add charcoal bricks to the surface and light the fire, which must be attended at all times.

For a more affordable but much slower alternative, you can use potassium nitrate pellets to accelerate the natural decomposition process. This method typically takes four to six months.

A grafted tree is a tree grown by combining two trees. It takes expertise. Branches from grafted trees don’t grow strong roots. Save yourself the time and frustration by having an arborist help you with this advanced project.  

You can often tell if a tree is grafted because it will have a noticeable line. Above the line, the bark will look different than it does below the line. It’s most common with fruit trees.

Coverage varies quite a bit by policy, but most homeowners' insurance policies will cover $500 to $1,000 of the cost of removing a tree. Additionally, if your tree causes damage to your property, like your house, many policies will cover some or all of the costs to repair the damage, depending on why the tree fell.

As a general rule, the protected area should be about 1½ times as wide as the canopy of the tree’s leaves. This digging measurement can vary by tree species and the age of the tree. Of course, that can be a lot of fencing for larger trees, which is why our first step is about making difficult decisions on which trees to save.