Stump grinding vs stump removal: which one do you actually need?

When a tree comes down you're left with a decision most people haven't thought about: what happens to the stump?

Stump grinding is the standard answer. A grinder chews the stump out to roughly 200 to 300mm below ground level, the hole gets backfilled with the mulch it makes, and once it settles you can turf, garden or path straight over it. It's quick, tidy and by far the cheaper option.

Full stump removal digs the root ball out entirely. You only really need it when something is being built exactly there: a footing, a pool, a retaining wall. It's a bigger job with machinery access and a lot more soil disturbance, which is why it costs more.

What about just leaving it? Fine in a paddock corner, less fine near the house. Old stumps attract termites, sucker back to life on some species, and turn into a mower obstacle that outlives everyone's patience.

One tip that saves money: book the grind with the removal. The grinder comes on the same run, the access is already sorted and the job is priced as one, which beats calling someone back out six months later.