Soil
Nitrogen tie-up
Nitrogen tie-up happens when decaying wood takes nitrogen from the soil, leaving less for grass or new plants growing in the same spot.
Microbes break down wood, and they need nitrogen to do it. When wood is mixed into soil, those microbes pull nitrogen out of the soil to feed on the wood. Plants then have less nitrogen to use. This is nitrogen tie-up.
Illinois Extension says wood material mixed in with the soil can tie up nitrogen as the wood breaks down, making it difficult to grow lawn or another plant where the tree once stood. Ground stumps are a common cause, because stump grindings put a lot of wood into the soil.
Yellowing grass is one sign. Removing the chips and adding fresh topsoil avoids most of the problem. The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio explains why wood does this. See can you plant grass after stump grinding.