Leveling a site for a pole barn that had trees

[Egon]

When the rot happens some material may realeased as gas, other material may be leached away by water and some material may be removed by whatever. What remains will have the same mass as the original minus what has been removed. Mass is not dependent on volume. ( or something like that )

Now for that stump; it's clear that Shane & the Farmer be called in!

 

[jfh28]

wow that is one nasty looking stump........might be a pain to get out but you definitely don't want that under your slab...........Jack

 

[sandman2234]

How much firewood do you have, and how many branches and wood from the tree? Is there anything nearby that could catch fire? Do you have to have a burn permit?
If that was in my yard, giving me that much trouble, I would start tossing wood on it, add a quart of diesel along with some paper, and a long fuse.

 

[Morning Wood]

You need a bigger machine.

 

[s219]

Dynamite!

 

[LT1Pat]

If I didn't have neighbors this would be a great idea

Dynamite!

 

[Firemanbuck82]

So which is true?
It seems if they don't rot all is good.
But even if does rot, how does this create a void?
Where does the material (matter) that was a root go?
How does it just disappear and create a void?
Wouldn't it just become soil? I'm curious on a "conservation of mass" aspect.
Does "rotting" cause some of it become gas or liquid and drain/float away? Where does it go?

Some of the carbon in the wood gets converted to carbon dioxide and is removed by off gassing into the soil, other gets used by bugs and bacteria. Either way, the stump will lose mass and volume and create a void in time. It might be 10 years, it might be 20 years. I've seen it over and over here in the PNW in 30 years as an engineering geologist. Folks call me and ask me to come check out a "sinkhole" developing in their yard. It's typically the place the contractor buried the stumps when the house was built and they're now rotting and the overlying soil is collapsing. Interesting, this process does not happen nearly as fast when the wood is below the water table. I've pulled out 100 year old boards from sawmill operations that look fine.

 

[Firemanbuck82]

You need a bigger machine.

THIS is always the correct answer.

The judges would have also accepted "use dynamite".

 

[LT1Pat]

I wish I lived in an area that I could just blow stuff up. I think I would plan more trees just so I could make them explode.

THIS is always the correct answer.

The judges would have also accepted "use dynamite".

 

[Deere Dude]

Is there a hole in the top where you could dump charcoal and diesel in to start a fire? Maybe it would burn from the inside out. I just got a 30" live oak from a guy with a hole in and he burned it out, but took time. If it would burn, good. If not you didn't lose anything.