The case for removing it
Termites. A rotting stump is ideal termite habitat: soft, damp, cellulose-rich timber in the ground. A colony that establishes in a stump five metres from a slab-on-ground house has an easy path to its next meal. This is the strongest argument, and it is stronger the closer the stump is to a building.
Suckering. Camphor laurel, willow, poplar, some figs and various wattles will keep pushing shoots from a cut stump and from the surrounding roots. Mowing them off works until it does not, and the root system has decades of stored energy to draw on.
Trip hazards. A stump cut flush to a lawn disappears into the grass within a season and reappears under someone's foot or a mower blade. This is the most common reason people ring, and it is legitimate.
You want the space. Turf, a garden bed, a shed, a pool, a driveway. Anything structural going over a stump means it has to come out properly rather than be ground shallow.
Replanting. A new tree cannot be planted where the old stump sits, and the root plate occupies more ground than the stump suggests.
Appearance and sale. A yard with stumps in it reads as neglected during an inspection.
The case for leaving it
Not every stump needs dealing with, and being told otherwise is worth pushing back on.
If it is in a back corner of a large block, on a species that does not sucker, well away from any structure, and not in the way of anything you plan to do, leaving it to decompose is perfectly defensible. It will take years, it will provide habitat for insects, fungi and small reptiles, and it will slowly return organic matter to the soil.
On acreage at Beerwah or Maleny this is often the sensible answer.
Grinding or excavating
Once you have decided it goes, there are two methods and they cost very differently.
Grinding turns the stump and the top of the root flare to chip, 200 to 300mm below grade. Fast, relatively cheap, leaves the deeper roots to rot in place. Right for almost every domestic situation.
Full excavation lifts the stump and root plate out of the ground entirely. Expensive, disruptive, and necessary only where a structural load is going over the top, where a root plate is damaging something, or where a pathogen has to leave the site.
The detailed comparison is here, and what it costs is covered separately.
If you are doing it yourself
A small stump can be dug and cut out over a weekend with a mattock, a bow saw and some determination. Hand removal is covered here, along with an honest account of how long it actually takes.
For anything bigger, ring (07) 5408 6029.
Frequently asked questions
Do stumps attract termites?
They can. A decaying stump is exactly the sort of moist, soft timber that supports a termite colony, and a colony established a few metres from a house has a short trip to the next food source. It is not automatic - plenty of stumps rot away without incident - but on a slab-on-ground house it is a risk worth removing rather than monitoring.
How long does a stump take to rot away?
Anywhere from three to fifteen years depending on species and conditions. Softer timbers in warm wet soil break down quickly; hardwoods like ironbark and spotted gum can sit almost intact for a decade. In the Sunshine Coast climate, decomposition is faster than in southern states but still slower than most people expect.
Will the stump keep sending up shoots?
Some species will. Camphor laurel, willow, poplar, several figs and a number of wattles will sucker persistently from a cut stump and from the roots around it, sometimes for years. Once suckering starts, grinding the stump shallow does not stop it - it needs grinding deep or excavating.
Can I just leave the stump?
Often, yes. If it is out of the way, on a native species that does not sucker, well clear of the house and not blocking anything you want to do with the space, leaving it to decompose is a reasonable choice. A cut stump also provides habitat and slowly returns nutrients to the soil.