Stumped by Tree Troubles? We're Here for You! - Get Your FREE Estimates!
Stumped by Tree Troubles? We're Here for You! - Get Your FREE Estimates!
A stump is an easy thing to put off. The tree is gone, the yard looks better, and the stump sits there getting mowed around until it becomes a trip hazard or the reason the new flower bed has to go somewhere else. Stump grinding in Kenner cuts that stump down under the soil line so the spot can go back to lawn or a new planting.
Big Easy Tree Removal grinds stumps across Kenner, from the older streets near Rivertown to the neighborhoods off Williams Boulevard and West Esplanade and up toward Laketown. This page covers grinding. Everything else we do in the city is on our tree service in Kenner page.
A stump grinder uses a heavy wheel fitted with cutting teeth. The operator lowers the spinning wheel onto the stump and swings it back and forth, shaving away wood and working down pass by pass. When the job is done, the stump is below grade and there is a hole full of grindings where it used to stand.
The roots stay underground. Cut away from the stump, they soften and rot over the following seasons. If you’re building over the spot and need the whole root ball pulled, our separate stump removal service handles that. For lawns and beds, grinding is usually all it takes.
One Kenner rule bears directly on grinding. Article IX of the Kenner Unified Development Code says no person may cut, disturb or interfere in any way with the roots of any public tree. A grinder cuts roots as it works. So if your stump sits in the front yard near a street tree, the roots under it may be tangled with roots from the public tree, and grinding too wide or too deep could cut into them.
The same article says no one may remove a tree or shrub growing within a dedicated street area or other public property without a permit from the Director of the Department of Public Works. If the stump itself is on the public strip by the curb, it may be the remains of a public tree. In either case, the Department of Public Works is the office to call before grinding.
Farther back on private ground, away from the street and any public tree, those rules are less likely to apply, but ask the city if you’re unsure.
We walk the yard with you first. These are the things that decide how the job goes:
The path in. Grinders range from narrow walk-behind machines to larger ones. Measure your gate with it fully open, and look at what’s between the driveway and the stump: pavers, a pool deck, beds, a slope. That tells us which machine can reach it.
Buried lines. Gas, water, cable and electric service lines may run close to a stump. Louisiana’s dig law calls for notice through Louisiana 811 at least 48 hours and not more than 120 hours before excavation, weekends and holidays excluded. The law’s definition doesn’t list stump grinding by name. Still, the wheel works below the soil line, so a locate request before grinding is a sensible step. Sprinkler lines and landscape lighting are private and may not be marked, so point them out.
Surface roots. Roots that run across the lawn near the stump can often be ground during the same visit. Tell us which ones catch the mower.
What you want afterward. Grass, a bed, a new tree or pavers each call for a different depth and a different clean-up.
After the walk-through you get a free written estimate that lays out the scope before the grinder is booked.
Some Kenner stumps are recent. Others go back to storm clean-up, like the work that followed Hurricane Ida in 2021, when an Entergy Louisiana update named Williams Boulevard and West Esplanade among the Kenner streets being cleared. When a storm-damaged tree is too big for ropes and a climber, our fulfillment partner Gulf Coast Tree Service handles the removal, and the grinding can be scheduled afterward.
An older stump can be soft and quick to grind, but it may hide gravel, wire or bits of fence pulled up when the tree went over. Chinese tallow stumps come up too. LSU AgCenter describes tallow as common in Louisiana yards and says it outcompetes native trees, which can be reason enough to cut one down and grind out what’s left.
Grindings make a rough mulch for shrub beds, but they’re a poor base for a lawn or a tree. For grass, rake the chips out, fill with topsoil, let a rain settle it, top it off and sod. For a new tree, clear the chips deeper and set the new tree a little to one side of the old trunk, where the old roots are thinner. The written estimate can include hauling the grindings off if you’d rather not deal with them.
If the tree isn’t down yet, our page on tree removal in Kenner covers that part, and our Kenner arborist services can help decide whether it should come down at all. Neighbors can compare stump grinding in Metairie and stump grinding in Laplace, and our main stump grinding services page has the general details.
It may be possible, but check with the city first. Kenner’s code says no person may cut, disturb or interfere with the roots of a public tree, and a grinder cuts roots. Call the Department of Public Works, explain where the stump sits, and ask what they allow. If grinding is allowed, the work may need to stay narrow and shallow on the side facing the street tree.
It varies with the size and species of the stump, how hard the wood is, and how easy it is to get the machine in. A small, soft stump in an open yard goes quickly. A wide hardwood stump behind a narrow gate takes longer. The walk-through gives us enough to put the scope and timing in the written estimate.
Some trees can send up sprouts from the roots left in the ground. Grinding removes the stump, so any new shoots come from those roots, and they can usually be cut or mowed. If sprouts keep coming, tell us, and we can look at whether the remaining roots need more work.
Yes. Grouping stumps into one visit is often simpler for everyone, since the machine only has to come in once. Walk the yard with us and point out every stump you want gone, including small ones hidden in beds. Each one goes on the written estimate so you can see the full scope before the grinder arrives.
If a stump is in the way of your lawn, a new tree or a project, call 504-732-1166 or request a free estimate. We’ll check the access, the street-tree question and the buried lines, and put the plan in writing before any grinding starts.
A credentialed arborist scopes the work and signs off the plan before a saw leaves the truck.
General liability and workers' compensation in force. Certificates sent before we start.
New Orleans, the Northshore and the coast — through hurricane seasons, not just fair weather.
No call-out fee, no obligation, and a fixed price in writing before any work begins.
Tree down or leaning? Call us first.
Storm and hazard crews dispatch 7 days a week across New Orleans, the Northshore and the coast.
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