Probably the most common and important reason that we grind tree stumps at Proleaf is to enable a new tree to be planted. When trees are removed in small gardens, parks or city tree plots, there is a big push to remove the previous trees stump and plant a new tree. This is mainly because, in the city or urban environment, space and land is in short supply hence the fact that replacement has to happen in the same location. This is important to keep up city tree stock numbers, increase canopy cover and to keep the place looking good. If you visit some lesser developed cities in the world, you will notice that funding for stump removal or replanting just isn’t there. If stumps aren’t removed after trees have been cut down then we start to lose out on new planting opportunities. At the rate it would take the stumps to decompose naturally, it wouldn’t take too long until gardens or parks were just full of ugly stumps instead of new trees. With climate change in the spotlight more than ever, removing a tree stump to enable a new tree to grow is a good thing.

Of course, some would argue that we shouldn’t remove trees in the first place however in an urban area, this is simply not practical. Trees get old, stressed and go past the point of being useful in the urban environment. For instance why waste valuable growing years of a new tree, watching an old tree dilapidate and become a danger to the public. Good tree management practice is to maintain trees and remove/replace when the time is right. It can be devastating in some situations having to lose trees that do wonders for our environment but if tree removal is inevitable, remove the stumps and incorporate replanting. Some trees can seem like a nuisance to some people with leaf debris or root damage hence why picking the right tree for the right spot is important.