About to put concrete steps over a shrub/tree; what are my concerns?

That is, the tree is about to be removed (it's a Camellia), and the new front steps (three high) are going to be put there.

I'm not doing this, and the cement contractor is well-regarded, so I believe they'll do whatever prep is appropriate once they come to do their part, with regard to any further excavation, gravel, etc...

What I want to know is whether I should be more worried about:

1. Just cutting it off at the ground and having the root system decompose and settle... OR
2. Digging the whole thing out, but then having a whole bunch of dirt that can only be tamped so well when compared to dirt that's been settling for decades

My general contractor was going to cut it off, and then we talked about the decomposition concern and I mentioned that we have a good yard guy, and agreed I'd ask him about it. He turned around and asked me about whether I want it cut off or dug up. So I in turn am asking GRM, the source of all real info, about what path means my steps won't be falling into the yard in ten years (or hopefully much, much longer than that).

Remove as much of the roots as you can. Backfill with gravel (5/8" minus) and let the concrete guys take it from there. For a set of steps or a sidewalk you'd be fine without mechanical compacting of the gravel, but you can tamp it in with a 2x4 if you're desperate.

Have the organic matter (root ball) dug out in the area under the concrete, plus some clearance.  You don't need it all dug up if the bulk of it is away from the work.

Backfill with gravel and absolutely tamp it.  If a sidewalk settles a little it's easy enough to pop a section out and replace it.  But concrete stairs are HEAVY and you really don't want them sagging or going croooked.  Do your prep work and avoid having to redo the stairs in 6-8 years.

I put Monocrete steps (3 steps each) at the front and side doors.  I don't recall what it cost at the time, but it was comparable to having someone frame and pour solid ones.  These are available in different finishes and are hollow inside.  Level the site and they install it.  The hollow area would walk around any shrub below thus not effected by heaving or holes when it all rots away. 

To answer your question, dig up as much of the roots as possible, it may come back.  Salt the Earth?  May effect the concrete once poured so I wouldn't.

In reply to Ransom :

Not trying to be “that guy”, but your concern should be that you’ve got a general contractor who suggested burying it in concrete. 

Roots gotta go. You decide whether the GC needs to go or not. 

BTW, technically the topsoil needs to go too (too much organic matter in it), and footings probably need to be installed before building the steps. 

In reply to SVreX :

We're generally happy with the GC, and with our timing (bought a house we wanted two additions to before moving in) and the market, that feels incredibly lucky. I appreciate the note, though; My gut says it was a not-well-thought-out answer on a topic that gets delegated to a specialist. The general progress and appearance of the work being done looks good to my admittedly undereducated eye.

Anyhow, thanks all! The Camellia's getting the boot, and I'll follow up on the overall dirt prep/footing.

In reply to Ransom :

Much more diplomatic than me!

(Im glad to hear when people are happy with their GC!)

I had a large maple tree removed and the stump was ground to below ground level.  Other than some mushrooms for awhile .  Now I get a depression that I fill with top soil, nothing else has happened.

You want to remove the roots, backfill and compact whatever fill you put in like others have said.

Concrete weighs 2 tons a yard and steps are usually pretty thick so there's a lot of weight in a small area

When removing the stump, it's often helpful to leave six feet or so of the trunk so you can hook onto it with a loader and yank the whole thing out of the ground - it gives you a lot more leverage than if the tree is cut off down at ground level.

In reply to stuart in mn :

Mercifully, this one is tiny. Six feet would be thin air just above the top of it.