The quote never mentions stumps — now what?

Ask ten owners holding a clearing quote whether stumps are included and most will not know. The document does not say, both parties have an assumption, and the assumptions differ. This is the single most expensive silence in the trade.

Published by the Land Clearing Authority editorial team · Last revised 2026-07-29 · Editorial policy · Corrections

Who this is for

Owners whose quote describes clearing without saying what happens below grade
Anyone comparing a quote that mentions stumps against one that does not
People whose end use may or may not require roots removed

The short answer

Silence means unresolved, not included. Assume nothing, and resolve it in writing before signing, because the difference between leaving and removing stumps is frequently the largest single variable in the price.

Before you ask, decide whether you need them out. Roots left in the ground are irrelevant for grazing, trails, habitat, and access. They are the whole problem for anything founded, dug, cultivated, or graded to a tolerance.

Then ask a specific question rather than a general one. "Are stumps included?" invites a yes. "What will the stumps look like on the last day — flush, ground below grade, or removed with the root plate?" produces an answer you can hold.

Expect the answer to change the price. A contractor who says stumps are included at no change to the figure has either already priced it or is about to discover they have not.

What changes the answer

Whether anything will be founded, excavated, or cultivated on the ground
Whether the surface has to be mowed or driven regularly
How large the root plates are, which affects the machine needed
Whether decomposition voids would matter where they form
Whether the contractor has the equipment for below-grade work at all

Four possible finished conditions, and what each is worth

The word stump covers at least four different outcomes. Getting the contractor to name one of these rows is the whole task.

What could be meant by dealing with stumps
Finished condition	What remains	Suitable for
Cut at whatever height suited the machine	A visible stump, sometimes knee height	Nothing much — usually an unintended outcome
Cut or mulched flush to grade	Root plate and all roots, surface tidy	Grazing, habitat, access, trails
Ground below grade	Most of the plate, roots intact deeper	Mowing, light traffic, general tidiness
Root plate excavated	A hole, then backfill and settlement	Foundations, excavation, cultivation, grading

Why the silence happens

Rarely dishonesty. Usually a mismatch of defaults.

A mulching contractor’s default is that stumps stay, because their machine cannot remove them and every job they do leaves them. They may not think to state it any more than a painter states that they are not replacing the windows.

An excavation contractor’s default is the opposite. An owner’s default is frequently that "clearing" means the ground ends up clear, which is a fourth position none of the trades hold.

All three parties are being reasonable and the document says nothing, which is why the resolution has to be explicit rather than assumed.

The two-sentence fix

Send this to every bidder before comparing prices, and the ambiguity disappears from the whole process.

State your end use in one sentence: what will happen on this ground afterwards.
Ask for the finished stump condition in the contractor’s own words, referencing height or depth.
Ask whether that condition is included in the quoted figure or would change it.
Ask who would do the below-grade work if they do not.

What happens if you leave it unresolved

Two outcomes, both common. Either you receive a site with stumps you did not expect and discover that removing them now means a second mobilisation and a second machine, or you are charged for removal you did not need on ground where roots were irrelevant.

The second is less painful and more common than owners realise. Stump removal converts a surface job into an earthworks job, disturbs the soil profile extensively, and leaves voids and settlement. Buying it because it sounds thorough, on land that will only ever be grazed, is a genuine waste.

Why a quote can be silent and still be honest

It helps to know that the silence is usually structural rather than evasive.

Many clearing quotes are produced quickly, from a site visit and a standard document, by someone who does the same scope on every job. Their template describes what they do; it does not describe the boundaries of what they do, because on their jobs those boundaries never come up.

That is why the productive response is a specific question rather than an accusation. A contractor asked directly what the stumps will look like will tell you, and the answer usually arrives immediately because they already know — it simply had not occurred to them that you did not.

The related silences worth checking at the same time

Stumps are the most common gap and rarely the only one. While you have the contractor’s attention, ask the same explicit question about material fate, restoration of disturbed ground, and repair of the access route.

Those four items — below-grade removal, where the material goes, what the surface is left like, and what the route is left like — account for most of the divergence between quotes on the same parcel.

What drives the cost

Cost drivers on this kind of project
Driver	Effect
Finished stump condition	Each step from flush to excavated is a different operation, not a percentage
Root plate size	Large plates need bigger machines and generate more backfill
Number of stumps	Below-grade work is priced per unit far more often than per acre
Backfill and settlement	Excavated ground needs filling and time before it is usable
Second mobilisation	Resolving stumps after the clearing means bringing a machine back

Common mistakes

Reading silence as inclusion
Asking whether stumps are included rather than what condition they will be left in
Buying below-grade removal on ground where roots do not matter
Comparing a quote that removes stumps against one that does not
Discovering the gap after the crew has demobilised

Questions to ask a contractor

What will the stumps look like on the last day, in height or depth terms?
Is that condition inside this price, or would it change the figure?
If you do not remove root plates, who normally does?
Given what I want the ground for, would you recommend removal?
What else does this quote not mention that I should be asking about?

What to do next

Write your end use down in one sentence
Ask every bidder for the finished stump condition in measurable terms
Decide whether removal is genuinely required before paying for it
Check material fate, restoration, and access repair for the same silence

Questions people actually ask

Does clearing normally include stump removal?

There is no reliable default, which is the point. Different trades hold different assumptions and the quote is the only place it can be settled. Ask for the finished condition rather than for a yes or no.

Can stumps be removed later?

Yes, at the cost of a second mobilisation and a machine that may not be the one that did the clearing. Doing it in one visit is cheaper when you know you need it; doing it later is the price of not deciding.

Will stumps left in the ground cause problems?

It depends entirely on the end use. Roots decay over years and can leave voids, which matters under a driveway or a foundation and does not matter under pasture.

Should I get a separate quote for stumps?

Often sensible, because below-grade work is a distinct trade. Having it as a separate priced line — whether from the same contractor or another — lets you decide on it rather than accept it bundled.