I have two stumps like that from an acacia and a peppercorn tree. I poisoned them to not come back with brush killer so they will decompose. You can also sprinkle stump killer pellets around the perimeter and cover with soil which will create organic matter. If you want to do the natural manner of eradication, pour vinegar over each stump, then boiling water a few days after. That will also cause a decomp cycle to commence. I have since planted over one stump. And I have creeping geraniums over the other one to camouflage it.

You might try a clear sealer first and then marine varnish. If boats last, a stump should. I have seen them as benches, chairs, pot holders, places for kids to climb and jump from...if you think it will work...it will.

Wow, thank you all for your more than helpful feedback! Now, lets clear up a few of you questions... Catkim: I love your idea for growing epiphytes. I could definitely invision this. Shaxhome: This is actually a rental house, and it did fall on the house before I moved in. The house has been through hell, but the plumbing has been fixed, at least I've never encountered any problems with it... Grinding it would be just like littlebug5 says- very expensive, and a ton of time and work. Plus I would like to keep the features of the natural "steps" and rounded trunks. Ruth_mi: I live in good ole' Cajun country-Lafayette, LA, and I believe the tree to have been an almost 400 year old oak. I heard it was beautiful. To sum it all up, I think what I would like to do is leave the front "steps and side where my bedroom walkway is, but chainsaw chunks out of the center, fill with dirt, and lay stepping stones to be able to walk through. (There is a side yard on the right that I would like to get to.) Thank you guys so much!!!

Hair, in my experience, that's asking too much of the plant. Presumably, this is a large to very large wound. So your question is important, but I just don't think that happens. After all, we worry about making say, 12 inch limb removals on mature trees, and in those cases, there's still an entire tree to provide the energy and resources to aid in callus/woundwood formation. Contrast that with a stump, even one bearing numerous stump sprouts, and I think you'll agree there's just not enough tree left to come close to closing off that wound. Yet, nevertheless, numerous trees routinely do propagate themselves via stump sprouts. Surely, many of us have seen a "ring" of basswood trees-all one tree genetically speaking-arising from a basswood stump. Oaks behave similarly, though it seems with fewer overall stems being generated-not completely sure about that. What does seem to happen is that the internal walls of separation via C.O.D.I.T. are able to keep any rot from infiltrating into this new growth.