where are you ... might matter.. though i doubt it ...

cut flush to the ground ... LEVEL ... and use as pedastals for garden art ...

being that pool and spa are in the ground.. i wouldnt worry about the stability issue ...

and i wouldnt bother having them ground out ... pines will be dead at cutting.. even without stump killer ...

pic of the mystery plant ... leaves and full plant.. will get you an ID ... if not here.. in the name that plant forum ...

the base problem.. was that the planter.. prior owner.. had no clue.. that those cute little pines that were planted... were going to grow into the telephone poles they are ... go figure ...

btw .. you give no facts that you are perched on the side of a hill ... so.. again ... the stability thing probably isnt an issue ...

and finally .. most grinding only goes about 6 inches.. max ... so all the roots are still going to be there anyway ....

ken

btw ... i doubt as the roots rot ... they disappear and leave gaping underground holes .... the wood will turn into soil ... its natures way ...

i would take a chair .. and a bucket of adult beverages ... and sit all around the yard .... for weeks.. to try to intuit what the use of each plant is ... perhaps ed is right.. and there is/was a purpose .... other than just greenery ...

but i am still betting on my telephone pole problem ...

ken

The pines wont produce considerable litter into the pool, The cm even less the others have to be identified. Given the size, evalue the deck for issues I think you would see issues there first. Perhaps the trees were there prior to the pool. Then Id even have less concern.

Not all pines are created equal. As mentioned, wait a year and see if there is even an issue.

tj

Wood does NOT turn into soil. As stumps, root systems, and any other wooden byproducts decompose, they disintegrate into humates, water, and dissolved elements.

Soil is predominantly the mineral portion of a soil system, particles of rocks that have eroded into sand, silt, and clay.

Bury a stump and its associated root system and you will, over a short period of time, be left with a void as it decomposes and disintegrates.

That being said, I doubt that your pool and spa will suffer much if those trees are removed. I urge you to hire the services of an arborist who is well insured, however. You don't want damage to occur during the actual process of removal. Ask for proof of insurance; if they can't provide it, don't hire them.

I agree with those who have suggested that you wait to see how much you hate or love the trees. I strongly disagree, however, with the person who dismissed the mess from pines and crape myrtles. Ha!

The crapes shed volumes of flower petals, leaves, seeds, and other 'stuff' all year round. The pines may even be worse! But you won't know how much of an impact it will be until you've lived through it.

I sure do agree with Ed's comments. And it's so true-the seeming compulsion of new property owners to "act", whether any of it makes sense or not. I'd live with things as they are for a while.

If/when you remove, make sure you mark all utilities, irrigation pipes, etc.

Thank you all for the input!

I will likely live with them for a little bit of time to see (I'm not in a rush to do this project yet), but I am pretty sure I will want them removed at some point. We had pines near our pool growing up, and the cleanup was a nightmare. Concerning peeping neighbors, unless someone is propped over the fence no surrounding house has a clear sightline into the backyard which is nice! Even so I would much rather have the 6 arborvitaes in the corner over those pines. I love the way those look, and would look into planting mature ones to get the height! Also, this house is in the middle of a big neighborhood, so no factories or businesses that need blocking to worry about either. Shade over the pool may be an issue with removing them, but the 1 large tree I do plan on keeping will provide at least some shade for that side.

I have no plans of removing the crepe myrtle though. I love those too much that I will deal with the cleanup from it. Just the combination of that and the pines is too much for me! The other large tree I just want to prune some of the branches back because they are practically touching the water since the overhang is that bad.

Ken, I live in Dallas, TX. Everything is pretty flat here, so definitely not on a hill or slope.

Sounds like a good decision! It's a very welcoming spot.

I agree with all the advice to wait.

Aside but relevant, I had a double-take on the photo because I used to maintain trees in a backyard that looked very similar to that, including two orange trees that produced fantastic oranges. Anyway, the homeowner had even larger pines, and there would be a few days where needles would come down, but the large trees would block wind and neighbors so worth the effort.