We have an older home that will be demolished next month and eventually a new home built.

There is a 50 yr old water oak nearly dead in middle of property needing removal. An arborist reviewed and said pulling out the stump and rootball is NOT necessary. They will grind the stump below ground level and after 3 months the entire root system will be disintegrated and nothing left. In their experience trying to pull out the entire rootball and stump removal is not worth the extra expense and only creates a massive hole on the lot. New construction wont begin for another 7 months.

I have no reason to not believe him but ive just never heard this approach. Does texags tree guys agree with this approach?

I also want to get another few bids - if anybody knows any tree removal guys in Houston let me know

yes / what are your concerns? I had a 15 year old water oak done like this years ago and never had another issue.

Gus said:

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yes / what are your concerns? I had a 15 year old water oak done like this years ago and never had another issue.

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We had another tree removal guy tell us that since we will be building a new house and foundation we need to take out the entire rootball and remove the stump completely not grind it down as to not interfere with anything when we start preparing pad and underground plumbing etc

OK, reading comp fail on my part. I was assuming that the tree was behind the foundation area because there is an existing home in place and the tree is behind the area but it sounds like some or all of the foundation will be on top of the old tree?

I would hate to comment on something like and be wrong but I would think it would be ok.

It's not right in the middle but it's very close to the existing house and we will have a lot of plumbing lines and the foundation is going to very close to the placement of current tree

Ask your foundation engineer what they think.

ktownag08 said:

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Ask your foundation engineer what they think.

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We haven't even chosen an architect or builder much less drawn plans. Otherwise I would

Gotcha. Could still talk to an engineer for guidance.

If it helps, my foundation plan has this note:

"Any trees that are removed within 25 feet proximity within 6 months before pouring the concrete will require engineers approval"

Call DuWest Fonduation Repair and speak with Kenny Dutton. He will give you a straight and honest answer to your concern. Their company is the best.

The most overlooked issue with removing a large tree is the change in moisture levels of the soil. A large, live tree sucks a tremendous amount of moisture out of the soil to live. Killing the tree will change the dynamic and moisture levels will increase after the tree is gone. Hence the "6 month" timetable from tree removal note.

Making note of the stump location will be good to make sure the soil is compacted correctly and allowances are made for future decay, but, the change in moisture in the surrounding ground will be more critical, especially in expansive soils.

I'd be more concerned with the void left after the stump fully rots away. If that is under a portion of the slab, it could certainly become problematic after large rain events.

While cheaper to cut and grind, removing the root ball and back filling with suitable material seems like the much "safer" long term option.