Stump grinding in Golden Valley, NV

Golden Valley is a small community north of Reno, about 1,100 people on about 3.6 square miles at roughly 5,100 feet. Census figures for a place this size are approximate, but they show nearly every home owner-occupied and about half built before 1980.

At a glance

• About 1,100 residents; nearly all homes owner-occupied
• About 65% of buildings in the direct wildfire exposure zone
• Grinding, or full removal with a backhoe or skid steer
• About 39 miles from our yard on US 50 East

Grind, dig or leave?

Grind when the stump is in a part of the property you use or want to plant: lawn, garden, the edge of the drive. Grinding turns the stump to chips and leaves the far roots in the soil.

Dig out when something is going on top: a shop pad, a new driveway, a trench. Wood left under a slab is a problem later. Stump removal is on our service list along with grinding, and we own a backhoe and a skid steer for it. See stump grinding vs full stump removal.

Leave when the stump is well away from buildings, cut low and in nobody's way. There is no rule that every stump must go.

What if a whole row has died?

Trees planted in a line along a boundary tend to be the same kind and the same age, so they tend to fail together. Once they are down you have a row of stumps, and the question becomes what the line is for now. If a fence is going in, the stumps on the fence line need to come out and the rest may not. If you are replanting a screen, grind them all and offset the new row. Our page on lot clearing and brush mowing in Golden Valley covers the brush that grows up around a dead row.

Fire sets the priority

The USDA Forest Service places about 65% of Golden Valley's buildings in the direct wildfire exposure zone, and ranks its risk to homes higher than 96.7% of US communities. In the federal fire record, the 2020 Poeville Road Fire, mapped at 2,973 acres, and the 2003 Robb Fire, mapped at 2,197 acres, both have their centers within about 5 miles.

So work outward from the buildings. Stumps and grindings within 5 feet of the house go first. Then the ones along the driveway, which is your way out. Stumps at the far fence can wait or stay.

Room to work, and things to miss

Larger lots make access easier. A machine can usually drive to the stump. What larger lots hide is private infrastructure: a septic field, a line from a well, power to an outbuilding, buried stock-water pipe. Utilities mark only what is theirs when an 811 request is made a few business days ahead. Sketch what you know of the rest, however rough, and hand it to the arborist at the estimate.

A small place a long way from our yard

Golden Valley is about 39 miles from 6301 US Highway 50 East. If a neighbor has stumps too, both of you can ask for estimates and mention each other, and the office will plan the visit with that in mind. For trees still standing, see tree removal in Golden Valley.