I have two maple trees that have died and need to have them removed. What kinds of issues do I need to consider as I move forward with a contractor?
— Gloria Valentin, Barrington
It’s sad to lose specimen shade trees. If the dead trees do not pose any safety hazards, then consider waiting until winter or late fall to remove the trees to lessen the impact on your garden. You may be able to secure better pricing if the work is done in the winter. Any branches that fall on the garden, in addition to the crew walking around to perform the work, will knock down adjacent perennials if done during the growing season. Most would likely be just fine next year especially since it is late in the season. Any damage done to existing perennials would spoil the appearance of a portion of the garden for the remainder of the fall season. You do not describe where the trees are located on your property — access to the site with large equipment will be a factor in reducing costs to remove them. Putting plywood down before driving in large equipment and avoiding work when the ground is wet will be best practice. There will be less soil compaction if the ground is dry or frozen when the work is done.
Shrubs, groundcovers and perennials within a foot or so of the stumps will likely be destroyed or damaged when ground out so you may want to temporarily relocate them. If the stump is two feet or more in diameter it would be good to clear a space that is two to three feet away from the stump. Have the stump ground to at least 12 inches in depth if you want to plant new
perennials in the same location. The more soil depth the better for the new perennials. New trees and shrubs with a large root ball will probably need to be planted adjacent to the old stump and you should plan on cutting through old roots from the trees while planting. A sharp axe works well for cutting out larger roots. You can also cut the trees flush to the ground and plant adjacent to the stumps without grinding them out.
The grinding process will leave a large mound of chips mixed with soil that will need to be removed and replaced with topsoil. Be sure to remove the wood chip and soil mix down to the bottom of the hole left by the grinding process. If you plan to have the stumps ground out this winter, you should transplant any valuable perennials and shrubs that are next to the trunk of the tree this fall in preparation for removal of the tree stumps this winter. The stump grinding can be piled up in the back corner of the yard to decompose over a couple of years leaving you with topsoil to reuse in your garden.
The loss of large shade trees will increase the amount of sun for your garden, which will affect the performance of the existing plants. If there are other adjacent trees that provide shade for the beds, then the impact will be less. It is a good idea to plan ahead to determine the need to relocate plants that may end up being in too much sun next year and replace them with more sun-loving plants. Trees and shrubs in gardens grow over time and gradually increase shade. As light decreases over time, some plants can start to struggle and when a tree is removed the light levels return to more optimum levels for the plants. If you are unsure of the impact the tree removal will have, then observe how the plants respond to this change in your garden over the growing season and adjust their locations as you see problems with too much sun.
For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
