David M.
Auburn, CA
“Called late Saturday for a quote. He showed up in less than 20 minutes with equipment and finished that day. Second time using him.”
Google Review, August 2026
Stump Grinding in Auburn, CA
The tree came down and the stump stayed.
It catches the mower, sends up new shoots every spring, and sits in the one flat corner of the yard you actually wanted to use.
✓ Vermeer · 6–12" below grade ✓ 36-inch gate ✓ 5.0 from 108+ Google reviews
5.0 from 108+ Google reviews
Neighbors have us at 5.0 stars across 108+ Google reviews, and 5.0 on Yelp. 990 Sierra View Cir, Auburn.
Vermeer, 6 to 12 inches down
We take stumps 6 to 12 inches below grade, deep enough to fill the hole, throw down seed, or plant something new.
Stumps first, then the yard
Surface roots, small and medium tree removal, brush and land clearing, plus light grading and cleanup when the lot needs it.
Fits a 36-inch gate
Older Auburn lots and newer tract yards have one way in and it's narrow. The grinder fits through a 36-inch gate.
That's the job here. David's Stump Grinding works out of Auburn and runs a Vermeer grinder into yards across Placer County. We take stumps 6 to 12 inches below grade, which is deep enough to fill the hole, throw down seed, or plant something new in the same spot.
What we grind
Oak and pine, mostly, because that's what's in the ground around here. Pine goes quickly. Valley oak and live oak take longer and throw a much bigger pile of chips. Old fruit wood on the Newcastle and Penryn lots is usually a cluster of small stems instead of one wide stump, which is a different kind of morning but the same depth.
The chips are yours if you want them. Plenty of people spread them on paths and beds. If you'd rather not deal with them, we rake them into a pile wherever you point and leave it at that.
The rest of the work
Stumps are the main thing, but we don't stop at the stump if the yard needs more.
What we don't take: timber-sized trees, crane work, or anything that needs to come off a roof. That's a different outfit with a different insurance policy, and we'll tell you so on the phone instead of wasting your afternoon.
Getting the machine to the stump
Older Auburn lots and newer tract yards have the same problem from opposite directions — there's one way in and it's narrow. The grinder fits through a 36-inch gate.
Measure the opening, then look at what's behind it. A gate that's wide enough doesn't help if there's a step down, a hard turn, or an AC pad in the path. A photo of the gate settles it faster than any description over the phone.
Where we work
Auburn is home base and most weeks start here. From the shop on Sierra View Circle we run out to Loomis, Rocklin, Roseville, Lincoln, Granite Bay, Penryn, Newcastle, Meadow Vista, Applegate, Colfax, and up the divide to Foresthill.
Each of those has its own page with what's different about grinding there — the gates, the granite, the wells, the slope.
See the service areaShop, hours, and reviews
990 Sierra View Cir, Auburn, CA 95603. Monday through Friday, 7am to 7pm. Saturday and Sunday, 8am to 5pm.
Neighbors have us at 5.0 from 108+ Google reviews, and 5.0 on Yelp. Worth reading them there rather than taking our word for it here.
Ian B.
Auburn, CA
“Professional, efficient, and careful not to tear up the yard. Reasonable price and cleanup was spotless. 10/10 local business.”
Google Review, August 2026
Kim M.
Auburn, CA
“Found him on Nextdoor. He came the next day — quick, efficient, reasonable, and personable.”
Google Review, August 2026
Stump Grinding Questions
How deep we grind, what happens to the chips, gate access, wells and irrigation, and what stump grinding costs depend on.
How far below grade do you grind?
Six to twelve inches. That's deep enough to backfill with soil and grow grass over it, or to plant nearby without hitting solid wood. It isn't a full root excavation — the wider root system stays in the ground and breaks down over the following years.
What happens to the wood chips?
Your choice. We can leave them in the hole, rake them into a pile where you want it, or talk about hauling if the pile is manageable. A large oak produces a genuinely large volume of chips, so if you want them gone entirely, mention it when you call rather than when we arrive.
Will the stump grow back?
Not the stump itself. Some species — live oak especially — can push suckers up from roots still in the ground for a season or two. Mowing them off handles it in most yards. Grinding removes the stump, not every root in the soil.
Can I plant a new tree in the same spot?
Not directly in the hole, and not right away. Ground-up wood ties up nitrogen while it breaks down, and there's still root material below. If planting is the goal, tell us — we'll pile the chips off to the side so you can backfill with clean soil, and you'll want to plant a few feet off center from the old trunk.
Call (530) 401-5225
Tell us the address, roughly how wide the stump is, and how we'd get to it. That's enough to give you a real answer.