Stump removal by burning results in epic fail -- there's gotta be a better way

It’s not my intention to be known as the stump guy, but after I did a stump removal video, I received comments that I should try stump burning. So this video explores that method of stump removal. Unfortunately, I achieved disappointing results - basically an epic fail. Please help me out in the comments by letting me know how I could have improved this burn.
0:00 Introduction
0:43 Excavation & Stump Cutting
1:13 Stump Top Preparation
2:17 Applying Charcoal
2:55 Burning
4:25 Results and Commentary
5:32 Burn Depth Exam
6:32 Sod Laying and Outro
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[@chrisbaeppler3873]

Maybe try a horizontal hole joining a vertical hole. Give it some air.

[@corporategonecountry]

Yeah, air was definitely lacking. The holes I dug between the roots just didn't get any air. Once the charcoal dust settled down in the holes, the remaining charcoal in the holes just got choked out.

[@user-sk1cy7rx8g]

I had a neighbor who grew up in the early 1900's. As a boy, he described to me how he removed stumps. Using an auger bit, with a "T" handle to twist the bit, he bored a bunch of holes into the stump surface. Then, over about a week, he would go out to the stump everyday, and would pour "coal oil" into the many holes he had drilled into the stump. Finally after several days of pouring the oil into the hole, he took a blow torch tot he stump, and he'd the flame to the stump. Slowly, the stump would begin to smolder. With the oil thoroughly soaked into the stump, it would smolder for several days, until there was nothing left but gray ash. Raked dirt over the depression, and no more stump.

[@TnShooter-is4gr]

55 gallon drum. Cut the bottom out. Place the drum over the stump. It contains the heat and works much better. Good Luck!

[@corporategonecountry]

Thanks for the tip!

[@andrewrohde2373]

Interesting video. My approach is vastly different and not applicable in all situations. I start, like you did, by cutting the stump down closer to the ground. Then I drill a bunch of 1/4" holes in the top of the stump. Then I change to a 3/8" bit and enlarge the holes. Finally, I change again to a 1/2" drill bit and enlarge the holes a second time. When I'm done drilling, roughly half of the volume of the stump has been removed, quickly and with much less effort. Then I wait for the natural decay process to take over. But the decay process is accelerated by the simple fact that there is much less volume of wood, AND the surface area of the wood is greatly increased. This allows greater access for insects, mold, fungi, and water to get at the stump. However I recognize that you said you wanted the stumps gone quickly, so my approach won't work for you. But if you have stumps in an out-of-the-way place and can be patient, my way works great. Good luck!

[@corporategonecountry]

I am going to try this on the part of the stump that is still sticking up. Thanks for the well written comment.

[@andrewrohde2373]

@@corporategonecountry You are very welcome, my friend. Again, good luck.

[@LoveBandit1000]

My friend once told me he used to drill many deep big holes in the stump and fill those to the top with #2 diesel fuel or kerosene, set that on fire somehow and it would supposedly slowly burn away....never saw him do it but he swore by that method. DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT ADVOCATING THAT ANYONE ELSE TRY THIS AS IT SOUNDS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO ME!!!! I am just relaying what someone else told me.

[@corporategonecountry]

I had a homebuilder tell me the same thing. They used that method to get rid of stumps on properties where they were about to build or landscape. Probably worth a try.

[@donnewton7858]

Think about how a rocket stove works, and create one in the stump. Drill a hole into the stump vertically, and then drill in from the sides until you hit the center hole in at least four places so air can feed the fire from below, Forget about the charcoal, the burned ash extinguishes the coals by blocking airflow. Now, take a bottle or two of charcoal starter or some kerosene and soak the vertical hole. Let it sit for about 10 minutes so the stump absorbs it, then light it by soaking a rag in starter fluid and use it as a wick. Leave it alone. It can take all night for all the wood to smolder into ash. Here's the exact method I'm describing - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqSvdHx4bZWMbM0

[@corporategonecountry]

Much appreciated !

[@jdsahr]

That heartwood down inside the stump is hard hard hard/tough tough tough. Such wood is used for things like knife handles. I'm not surprised that it didn't burn with charcoal. Note that this looked like hardwood; you might have had more luck with softwoods like (most) pine; although technically poplar is a hardwood, it's pretty soft. A comment below (@andrewrhode) suggests making the innards of the stump accessible to bugs and fungi and time. It's a foolproof method, but it's slow: it's basically Nature's method, but hurried up a bit. If you're in a hurry, well: a stump grinder is the answer. There are some other amusing videos which show stump removal with winches and come alongs; for this method you would leave about 8 feet of the bole, so that you've a got good lever to apply to the root network. You can always cut down the bole after. That can work, if you've got a strong anchor; there's a reason that trees don't blow over all the time, after all. The funniest stump removal story I've heard involved dynamite. The guy put just a bit too much dynamite underneath the stump, and when the dynamite blew, it lofted the stump into the air ... and it landed on his truck (of course).

[@corporategonecountry]

Yes, they are hardwoods. Heartwood is a new term to me, but it's certainly descriptive. The heartwood was tough -- even the chain saw could barely scratch it. My goal was to get the stumps below grade and got there with one, but not the other. I'll use the natural method and the part that's still visible. I was trying to do all this without a stump grinder just because there is a lot of videos on that already and I didn't want to spend the money renting one. Nonetheless, I spent about $40 on charcoal. Thanks for your viewing and comments.

[@Rickimusic]

"Burn" the stump, not barbeque it. lol

[@corporategonecountry]

I figured red hot coals would do the trick, but no such luck.

[@shexdensmore]

What will evening happened is that the stump will decompose and collapse as the wood rots. All you. Will have to do is just add dirt on top from time to time.

[@corporategonecountry]

That's basically where I am with it. I got enough of the stumps out where one of them is below grade and the other is barely sticking up. As they deteriorate, I'll put soil on top of them.

[@MotivationConnection-gd2sv]

The stumps are way too green to burn!

[@corporategonecountry]

One of them was a tree that I had recently cut down. But the other (the larger one) had been cut down a couple years ago. I expected that one to burn but obviously it didn't. That one is a mystery to me.