Time to Stump Up: 3 Ways a Tree Stump Could Cost You Money
Posted on: 31 October 2019
When you remove a tree, unless you plan to put the stump to use, it's a good idea to remove the tree's stump as well. Yes, it's true that you'll have to pay extra for stump removal. However, if you leave the stump in the ground, you run the risk of forking out in various other ways.
Here are 3 costly reasons to opt for stump removal along with the tree:
Stumps Bring Pests
In Australia, it is inadvisable to leave rotting wood of any kind near your home. This is because pests, such as termites, carpenter ants and furniture beetles are always on the lookout for more food sources and nesting sites. If any of these three wood-damaging insects make a home in your abandoned tree stump, once their colony matures, your home could be next on the list.
Removing a tree stump is much cheaper than paying for pest control. For instance, to remove the stump of an average tree with a trunk of one metre in diameter will cost around $170 in Australia. However, the average cost of pest control in Australia is around $300 to $700. If termites infest your house, the cost could skyrocket beyond that.
Stumps Damage Structures
As tree stumps rot, which could take several years, they cause the ground around them to settle. The spaces left behind in the soil as the tree roots rot can cause the ground to slowly collapse over time. As a result, structures in the vicinity, such as houses, sheds and fences, will begin to sink into the resulting spaces. This is something that can seriously damage the foundations of a building.
If the concrete slab your home rests upon falls victim to settling caused by a tree stump's rotting roots, you could end up paying for extensive and expensive repairs.
Stumps Cause Accidents
There is much more to a stump than meets the eye. For instance, a tree stump's root system, which often extends for many meters in all directions, takes up a lot of space around it. Many of those roots are feeder roots, which run close to the surface of the soil. If it takes years for a tree stump to rot, that means you -- and anyone else walking through your yard -- risk tripping over those roots.
If you forget that the stump is there while mowing your lawn or carrying out other gardening tasks, you could injure yourself. This could lead to costly hospital bills and even a lawsuit if someone else injures themselves tripping over your stump.
As you can see, although tree stump removal will cost extra, in the end you will probably save money. Leaving an old stump in the ground can leave you out of pocket in a number of ways.
Share