"Lee" wrote in message
om...
(Beecrofter) wrote in message

The only way I can think of doing it on the cheap is to dig a bigger
hole and roll them in. Let the termites take care of them.

This sounds like the best idea.. after all he has a root ball pulled
out of the soil and if he cuts the trunk off close to the root ball,
it won't be too much more digging. ---leo/lee

In theory this sounds like a good idea, but it's not as simple as it might
sound. The larger of the two stumps--even with all of the tree trunk cut
off--is roughly a cube 6' on each side. The hole next to the stump is the
same diameter but only about 1 foot deep. (I'm guessing that since the tree
went down when the soil was saturated with water there was something akin to
a small mudslide that filled in the hole.) Given that this soil is mostly
clay, I don't see anyway short of using a backhoe digging a hole of that
size.

I have come to the conclusion that no method of removal will be easy (or
even close).

Some folks have mentioned using homeowner's insurance to cover the cost of
removal. We're already contacted our insurance company. Since almost every
home in this area has some damage, we figure whether we make a claim or not
our rates are going to be affected. Unfortunately, insurance only covers
trees that have fallen on the house, and so since these trees did not hit
the house, that is not covered.

Tony