[HairOfTheDog]

Dang.... I would have to see a pic again.... show me the stump and I shall devine the species.

[Miss Marple]

My bet on the tree stump: American Elm, Maple, or Lombardy Poplar.

Reason:

American Elms die of disease.
Some maples are bad trees with dropping sticks and roots that come to the surface, so the owners might have cut it down.
Lombardy Poplars are popular, fast-growing trees, but short-lived.

Can you tell I am a gardener? HA!