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[tickmike]

I have spent about 3 days hand digging out a hazel tree root where I'm going to build my workshop.
The main problem it grew through a dry stone wall and it's embedded into the tree roots because there is not one main trunk there are many, 20 or more .
It must be about 5 ft long and about 4 foot wide, and have about 2cwt of stone in it.
It,s going to be hard to move very far .

Any suggestions to what I can do / make out of it 

[jid]

My Dad did burn a tree root out once...bad idea

You could saw them off, as they would then be dead, and simply leave the roots in the concrete, as it might be difficult to get them out...

[broadstairs]

Trouble with most trees is that when you cut off the main trunk(s) you leave a massive root system with nothing for it to supply so it starts growing vigarously and soon you have new trunks growing.... one solution is to drill some holes on the stumps and pour something down it to kill it. I have heard of using creosote but I do think if you go to a good garden centre you should be able to buy something to do this properly without damaging the environment 

[roseway]

The crystals which you can buy for killing tree stumps are very effective. As Stuart says, creosote is definitely non-preferred for environmental reasons (as well as being illegal).

[oldfogy]

The crystals which you can buy for killing tree stumps are very effective. As Stuart says, creosote is definitely non-preferred for environmental reasons (as well as being illegal).

The same goes for Diesel.
But it does work, the roots drink it and then it dies. 
But whatever you use, you will be concreting over it, so what the heck.

Also remember that what ever you use to rot the root away with, after you concrete over a cavity will form eventually

[Ezzer]

An engine hoist with the chain either around the main centre of the stump or drill a large hole through the stump can help get the majority out. sounds odd but sometimes does work very well 

[tickmike]

An engine hoist with the chain either around the main centre of the stump or drill a large hole through the stump can help get the majority out. sounds odd but sometimes does work very well 

Ezzer gets top marks.
You reminded me I have a chain hoist (block and tackle ) with a very long chain on it .
I managed on Monday to sever all the roots, So today I put a lifting 'sling' around the stump and put one end of my chain hoist around another tree and hooked the other end onto the sling and spent most of the day only moving it dragging it about 15 ft.
It may be heaver than I thought, I tried moving it first with a 2inch x 20ft scaffold pole and I bent it. 

[Ezzer]

I've done it on a succession of very tall pine tree stumps, the hoist was 3 scaffold poles arranged in a pyramid, the tension from the hoist was on most cases enough to pull the main body out with little effort, the others it was a case of so much tension that cutting the remaining roots was easy until the main body came springing out. I was in smug mode when everyone clicked how i managed to get the stumps out so easly. Thing is digging is too much like hard nasty work around roots and i didn;t fancy it, my mind was scrabbling round for an easy alternative.

You see lazyness has its very sound uses sometimes 

Shame I never got to finish the car I was ment to build from which the hoist was origanly used for

http://www.jbacars.co.uk/

If any one ever remembers a series called the Chancer the car called the Douglas leopard was actualy a JBA Falcon. I collected mine the day the first episode was being broadcast. I see one through Norwich in black the odd summer  I want's one, my precious

[tickmike]

Well another day gone and I managed to drag the stump out of the way of my new building  .
Looking at the amount of stone large rocks embedded in the stump, once it's died off I was thinking of using it to grow some plants in it    with some soil put in the crevasses and then push some small plants in, It will be different.

@ Ezzer, I like the kit car.