Stump grinding in Orchard Park, NY

Orchard Park: town and village

Orchard Park is an outer-ring suburb about 14 miles southeast of Buffalo, and much less densely built than the inner suburbs closer to the city.

The Village of Orchard Park sits inside the town at the junction of Route 240 and Route 20A, with its own government and public works staff. The rest of the town includes hamlets such as Windom on the western edge, home to Highmark Stadium; Armor at the west town line; Webster Corners north of the village; Ellicott and Duells Corner south of the village; and Loveland on the east line. Chestnut Ridge Park, the largest park in Erie County, takes up the south end of town.

The Town Arborist rule

Orchard Park's town code is more specific than most about public trees. Under Local Law No. 1-2001:

• Written permission from the Town Arborist is required before anyone plants, sprays, fertilizes, prunes, removes, replaces, or otherwise disturbs a tree or shrub on a public street, right-of-way, park, or other town property. Requests must be in writing.
• The Arborist's office is within the Highway Department.
• Contractors doing routine maintenance can get a permit covering their work for a year.
• Work near town trees, including moving or parking equipment near them, requires the Arborist's written permission.
• Anyone who damages or removes a public tree may have to replace it.

For a stump in the tree lawn, that means asking the town before anyone grinds it. Even for a stump in your own yard, check whether the grinder will need to cross or park near a town tree on the way in.

The code also reaches private property. If the Town Arborist decides a dead or diseased tree on your land is a hazard or threatens other trees, the town can require removal or pruning. Owners get written notice and 60 days.

In the village, contact the village instead. Its public works office handles village tree planting.

Larger lots and longer routes

Lower density usually means bigger yards. That changes the job:

• Longer access routes. The stump may be well back from the driveway. Describe the route, including slopes, wet spots, and soft lawn the machine would cross.
• More stumps at once. Larger lots often have several stumps, or stumps along a tree line. National cost guides list discounts for additional stumps, so get them quoted together. See stump grinding cost.
• Wooded edges. Stumps at the edge of a woodlot may not need grinding at all, unless you're extending lawn or need access. University of Illinois Extension notes dead trees and tall stumps support wildlife.
• Private lines. Long driveways and outbuildings can mean long private electric or water lines. UDig NY's member utilities do not mark those.

Planning around heavy snow

Orchard Park can get some of the heaviest Lake Erie snow in the county. In the November 2022 storm, a public report in Orchard Park showed 80 inches, compared with about 37 inches at the Buffalo airport. Deep snow hides stumps and roots and makes access hard, so plan stump work for late spring through fall. If you plan to reseed, see after stump grinding for timing. For how the job works, see stump grinding.