Stump grinding does not kill a tree’s roots in Frankfort, KY — it removes the visible stump below grade, and most hardwoods die on their own once the trunk and canopy are gone, but a handful of root-sprouting species can still send up new shoots from what’s left underground.
Does Grinding the Stump Kill the Tree’s Roots?
No. Grinding chews the stump down below grade but leaves the root system intact; most trees die anyway once the canopy that fed those roots is gone.
A tree’s roots depend on the leaves above to make the sugars that keep them alive, so for the vast majority of species around Franklin County — oak, maple, hickory — once the trunk is down and the stump is ground, the roots have nothing feeding them and slowly decompose rather than sprout. The exception is a smaller group of species that store enough reserve energy in the root system itself to push up new growth with no canopy left at all, which is what people usually mean when they ask whether grinding “killed” the tree.
Which Frankfort-Area Trees Are Most Likely to Resprout After Grinding?
Bradford pear and tree of heaven are the two species in Franklin County most likely to send up root sprouts after grinding, sometimes for more than one growing season.
Bradford (callery) pear stores energy along its root system in dormant buds, and once the tree comes down those buds can push up a thicket of thorny sprouts the following spring — see our Bradford pear removal page for how we handle that species specifically. Tree of heaven is worse: Penn State Extension’s control research found that cutting the trunk without treating it first triggers the tree to send up dozens of root suckers that can surface up to 50 feet from where the trunk stood, which is why grinding alone almost never finishes the job on this species — see our tree of heaven removal page.
How Do You Stop a Ground Stump From Resprouting?
Cutting or grinding alone rarely stops a root-sprouting species for good; the roots need to be treated or mowed down to exhaustion before the shoots quit coming back.
For Bradford pear and tree of heaven, Penn State Extension recommends treating the standing tree with a systemic herbicide before it’s cut, since the chemical needs a living canopy to carry it down into the roots — treating the stump after the tree is already down is far less effective. If shoots come up anyway, cutting or mowing the new growth every time it appears will eventually exhaust the root’s stored energy, usually over one to two growing seasons. Grinding deeper doesn’t change this outcome — it removes more of the visible wood, but the lateral roots driving the resprouting typically extend well beyond the grinding radius.
Grinding itself is priced the same regardless of species — stumps in the Frankfort area typically run $75–$400 per stump, labeled as typical since diameter, root flare, and access all move the number. See our stump grinding page for what’s included — but on a known resprouter like Bradford pear or tree of heaven, we’ll flag that at the estimate so the stump price and the regrowth question don’t get confused as one thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a ground stump grow back into a full tree?
Almost never into a trunk-sized tree, but a handful of species — Bradford pear and tree of heaven chief among them in Franklin County — can send up new shoots from leftover roots for a season or two after grinding.
Which trees are most likely to resprout after grinding?
Bradford pear and tree of heaven are the two most common offenders locally; both store energy in extensive root systems and respond to cutting by sending up new growth rather than dying outright.
Does grinding the stump deeper stop the regrowth?
No — grinding deeper removes more of the visible wood, but the lateral roots that drive resprouting usually extend well beyond the grinding radius, so depth alone doesn’t solve it.
Not sure if your stump is a resprouter? Call or text (859) 310-1209 and we’ll tell you at the estimate. For the short general answer on regrowth, decay, and when to worry, see our stump regrowth FAQ.
Last updated: October 25, 2026