Stump grinding in Spanish Springs, NV

Spanish Springs is one of the most owner-occupied places we serve, at about 92%, and about 95% of its homes are detached houses (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). Nearly every home has its own yard, and nearly every yard was landscaped in the last 25 years.

At a glance

• Median home built in 2002; about 95% detached houses
• USFS: wildfire risk to homes higher than 98.6% of US communities
• About 32% of buildings in the direct wildfire exposure zone
• About 43 miles from our yard on US 50 East

What is under the rock?

Usually landscape fabric, and under that the drip tubing that fed the tree. Rock has to be pulled back before a stump can be ground, or it ends up mixed through the grindings and thrown by the machine. Fabric wraps around cutting teeth.

You can save time on the day by raking rock back a few feet from the stump and folding the fabric away. If you would rather we did it, say so and it will be part of the estimate. Flag the drip line either way. Utilities mark their own buried lines after an 811 request made a few business days ahead, but your irrigation is not theirs to mark.

Why grindings and houses do not mix here

The USDA Forest Service ranks wildfire risk to homes in Spanish Springs higher than 98.6% of US communities, and places about 32% of its buildings in the direct exposure zone. The 1999 Reservoir Fire, mapped at 6,163 acres, has its center about 4 miles from the town point in the federal record.

Rock mulch next to the house is a good thing in that setting. A drift of shredded wood on top of it is not. University of Nevada, Reno Extension's Living With Fire guide describes the first 5 feet around a home, Zone 0, as ember-resistant. When the stump is in that strip, have the grindings hauled and put the rock back.

Why did a twenty-year-old tree need to go?

The common reasons are ordinary ones: the tree was planted too close to the house, it died back after a dry winter, or it split in wind. Whatever the cause, think about it before you plant the same thing in the same place. The Spanish Springs weather station averages about 9.2 inches of precipitation a year, so every tree here lives on irrigation. Our guide to watering mature trees in the high desert is a good starting point.

One longer drive, one complete visit

Spanish Springs is about 53 minutes from our yard without traffic. Give the office the whole list: every stump, front and back, plus any tree trimming in Spanish Springs you want priced. Gate width matters on these lots, since side yards are often the only way to the back.

• Number of stumps and the width of the largest
• Side-gate width at the narrowest point
• Rock, fabric and edging around each stump
• Where the drip line and valve boxes are

Replanting

Stump grinding lets you plant grass, shrubs or even new trees in the same area. Spanish Springs is in hardiness zone 7b. Set the new tree a little away from the old center and farther from the house than the last one. Can you plant after stump grinding? explains why.