replacing cypress hedge with hugelkulture

I want to cut down an ugly old overgrown cypress hedge and create a hugel bed for acid loving berry bushes-- my question is, do I have to uproot the bushes, or could I just chop them down and build up over the stumps? They have been around for a long long time and would be horribly difficult to dig up. And no, I can't put pigs on it-- it's in the front yard and we are not allowed to keep pigs in my municipality (it's the only animal that is specifically prohibited, no idea why).

Thanks, and I hope this question hasn't been asked before, but with 3 children under 5 I don't have time to search through every post-- maybe there's a better way, but I haven't found it.