I have seen some pretty sorry jobs by both mulching and dig and burn. I have used both over the years and each have their place. Keeper trees and soil structure hold up much better to properly done mulching but big stumps are going to have to ground out below grade. Also you need to reduce the material to a size that will decompose in the time frame the owner is looking for. It also depends weather you can legally burn or not.I have read all kinds of posts on this site about how you can burn this pile of brush with a half dozen truck tries and such. All I can say is that type burning is irrespondable as well as illegal. When you get caught, not if , youre going to wish the DOT had busted you every day for month when you get hit with a $25000.00 fine.Also is your customer watching the fire till it burns out your are you on the clock till it is stone cold out.Burn the farm or house down across the fence and that could be problem. You will find out what kind of person your working for when he throws you under the bus for his mistake in reading the weather conditions for the next two days or longer depending on when the fire out. So if we burn it is in a trench,when we know what the weathers going to right, and on a large track out in the sticks. Otherwise we mulch or don't do it.