San Anselmo is the heart of the Ross Valley, and its stumps come from two directions. The wooded hillsides, Sleepy Hollow, Red Hill and the streets above the Seminary, have lost a lot of oaks and tanoaks to Sudden Oak Death over the past couple of decades, and many of those trees came down in yards. Down in the valley, San Anselmo Creek cuts through downtown, and the older homes along it have big bays, oaks and redwoods with roots spread through damp, creekside soil. Between the two, it's a town of older lots, mature trees and a lot of stumps that owners have been working around for years.
From oak stumps on steep hillside lots to creekside redwoods, we grind them all and clean up so the spot can be planted or paved. If you're adding on or rebuilding, stump removal lifts out the root ball as well, and for roots lifting a walkway or patio, root grinding takes them down flat. Tell us what was growing there, if you know, plus where it stands, and we'll send a free estimate.
Oak Stumps Left by Sudden Oak Death
Sudden Oak Death has hit the Ross Valley hard, and San Anselmo yards carry a lot of the evidence. Tanoaks and coast live oaks that died from it are often removed for safety, since dead oaks dry out and drop limbs, and the stumps get left behind. Many of those trees died standing, and their stumps mostly sit, soften and rot, drawing fungus and wood-boring insects, and a rotting oak stump near the house is worth dealing with. Grinding takes it down below grade in one visit. Bay laurels are part of the same story, since bays carry the disease that kills the oaks, and some owners take out bays near their oaks for that reason. Bay stumps will sprout again, so those get ground deeper than an oak would need. Dense oak takes a little longer to grind than softer woods, but it's routine. The hills above Fairfax, just up the valley, have the same problem.
Creekside Lots in the Valley
The yards along San Anselmo Creek are some of the oldest in town, and the trees next to the water grew big and spread their roots wide through soft, damp soil. When a creekside tree falls or gets cut, the stump often sits close to the bank, a fence or a retaining wall, and the roots run under lawns and paths across the yard. Creekside ground also holds water well into spring, so we time those jobs for drier weeks when we can and protect the lawn along the route. Near the bank, we keep the grinding shallow at the edge and leave the deep roots that may be anchoring the soil, then backfill and pack the spot. If you're close to the water and planning anything bigger than replanting, check what your project needs before the stump comes out. Older lots in San Rafael and the creekside streets of Kentfield have the same mix.