I will be hiring a logger to clear 3 acres for a horse pasture. I was told they would grind the stumps and bury them, then add approx 2 feet of origional topsoil. My concern is decomposition of the grind, causing 'sink holes' in the pasture. Is this possible? Would it be better to have the stumps removed and hauled away, rather than grind them for our particular goal?

I suppose it depends some on the size of stumps and the depth of grinding. Any remnant organic material, whether left unground or buried grindings, will lose volume as it becomes food for microbes. My experience in landscape situations is that there is always some sinking of soil surface when buried organic matter decays.

In a pasture, I assume there is more room for equipment to work removing stumps. You might need to consider the relative levels of other site disturbance due to the different methods.

Where does the "original soil" come from? The introduction of soil from somewhere else can introduce other problems. But it may be easier to reduce sinking in the soil-filled holes, compared to ones full of grindings or other tree remnants.

Thank you, Mark. I've decided to choose an area that will not be used as pasture to bury the grindings. The "original soil" will be from the existing land. Good to know there could be 'other problems' if I were to bring in fill from somewhere else. Thanks, again.