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Stump grinding is the latest of Donald Smith’s many careers. |
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Stump grinding is the latest of Donald Smith’s many careers.
Smith, a Penticton resident, took up the endeavour in 1995 when he purchased a stump grinder from a friend who was no longer using it.
“It’s turned out to be a good thing for me,” Smith said.
The part-time business provides Smith with all the work he wants, independence and a good hourly wage.
The work is physically demanding which keeps Smith in shape.
“It’s glamorous only in a macho-guy thing of running a machine,” he said.
Born in Calgary, Smith has lived and worked across the country.
He came to the Okanagan in the early 1970s to take a position as a waste water technician.
Smith explained there are three basic ways to remove stumps—chemically, digging and grinding.
“People use everything from diesel fuel to battery acid to get rid of stumps,” he said.
This approach often slows down the natural decay process and can be detrimental to nearby trees and shrubs if there is a shared root system Smith explained.
Smaller stumps may be dug out by hand but Smith questions whether it’s worth the effort and potential damage.
He’s seen people inflict extensive damage to their vehicles trying to remove stumps that were too difficult to dig out with a shovel.
“It doesn’t make sense to work all day, run the risk of causing thousands of dollars of damage and end up with a big hole when you can pay me $100 and the job is done neatly and quickly,” Smith said.
Backhoes and hydraulic excavators are good for clearing large areas where the landscape will be completely changed, such as land used for subdivisions or parking lots.
“The area is left rough with roots sticking out which doesn’t work for residential landscaping or orchards and vineyards,” Smith said.
Grinding stumps causes little disturbance to the topsoil which in turn allows for rapid repair and replanting of the area.
The grinding is done by a rapidly spinning steel wheel with attached carbide-tipped teeth.
It is lowered in front of the stump to the desired depth below ground level and worked from side to side through the stump.
The remaining pile of chips can be used for mulch.
Smith supplies chips to several farmers wanting to improve the quality of their soil.
The roots decay naturally which also returns nutrients to the soil.
“About 10 percent of my business is for eco-sensitive farmers who want to make full use of their land,” Smith said.
He explained that sometimes these growers will start replanting their orchards before completely removing the old trees.
Smith once ground 2 hectares of pear stumps in Osoyoos because the owner didn’t want to disturb the existing irrigation system.
“The bulk of my business is for homeowners who have trees removed because they’re diseased, unsightly or not serving the desired purpose,” Smith said.
He removes at least two birch stumps a week due to the trees dying from the birch borer.
Most of his clients are located from Osoyoos to Westbank but he does have a couple of accounts with strata properties in Kelowna.
Smith also does stump removal for the City of Penticton and towns of Oliver and Osoyoos and area school boards and hospitals.
His longest job ever was the 12-hours it took to remove a large oak stump in Penticton’s Gyro Park.
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