I removed it today. The roots were black and mostly could be pulled apart by hand - a sorry state, rotten as hell. No mushrooms down there.
I've removed a tonne of clay that was around the rotting roots, as well as all trace of the roots and the trunk. The fact it was rotten made it easier to break up.
There is a big hole there now, should I treat that? Or would just filling in with new compost or pine bark or a mix allow me to plant something else in that spot?
There's no need to treat the soil/hole with anything but I would mix some of that clay you removed with some grit and well-rotted manure - say 50% clay, 25% grit and 25% manure (the bagged stuff from GCs is very good for this sort of thing.) Clay is very fertile and some consider it to be the best 'base' type of soil to have, but only if it has been cultivated and drainage is good which means the clay needs to be broken up and mixed with as much organic matter as you can lay your hands on. The worms will do the rest for you over time, especially if you put down a mulch of more well-rotted manure in late autumn every year. As long as you don't use fresh manure, you can plant immediately although I'd leave it until spring so the soil settles.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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I've removed a tonne of clay that was around the rotting roots, as well as all trace of the roots and the trunk. The fact it was rotten made it easier to break up.
There is a big hole there now, should I treat that? Or would just filling in with new compost or pine bark or a mix allow me to plant something else in that spot?