Worst smelling wood??

[Der Fuirmeister]

I love the smell of balsam while walking through a Northern WI woods hunting grouse. I really like the smell of apple wood or hard maple. Hickory and cherry smell nice. Not at all fond of piss elm or sh*t maple (box elder). And some wet oak I've cut smells, but I burn them because they warm my home.

What's the worst smelling wood in your area??

 

[bsruther]

The only one that I can think of is Silver Maple, after it's split. To me, it smells like a bucket full of blue gill.

 

[gzecc]

Black locust stinks

 

[rphurley]

The only one that I can think of is Silver Maple, after it's split. To me, it smells like a bucket full of blue gill.

I'll find out soon. I just scored about 2 cords that were cut in my neighborhood by the power company. Initially, as I pulled up, I thought it was white oak but as soon as I was able to pick up some of the larger pieces myself, I took a look at it again. I was disapointed but then though how much my electric bill has been raised in the last few years, and now I'll be happy to take any wood they cut!

 

[crazy_dan]

green oak fresh cut or split stink bad also makes my yard smell bad for a couple of weeks

 

[ansehnlich1]

burning boxelder is one of the nasiest i've ever smelled, so bad i hate to burn it, HOWEVER, i still do

 

[CowboyAndy]

i will third boxelder, stinks pretty bad but it still burns!

 

[Rich_CT]

I haven't burned much of it yet, but the black locust I split this past fall was pretty foul smelling. The prior home owner used it as fill. It doesn't rot but smelled like it was starting to ferment.

Rich

 

[LLigetfa]

Some guy down the road burns some gawd awful stuff in his OWB. Smokes out a sq mile area. Looks like a pile of green Poplar/Aspen next to the OWB.

 

[Eric Johnson]

My vote goes for fresh-cut red oak. Sometimes it smell OK, but other times it smells to me like somebody just threw up a gut full of cheap bourbon.

Of course, it's been about 30 years......

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Maybe you fellows have different oak in your area but I always liked the smell of oak even back when I worked in the mill or was logging.

My vote goes for cottonwood, willow and elm with popple very close.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

For those who don't like the word popple:




From the American Heritage dictionary:

pop·ple2 (p¼p“…l) n. Informal. A poplar.

 

[LLigetfa]

My bad. After re-reading the question, it's the smell of fresh cut wood, not the stench of burning it, that is questioned. In that case, fresh cut Birch and Balsam Fir both have the smell of cat piss and I don't care to have either in my house. Poplar can have a bit of a sourdough edge to it when green but smells OK once seasoned. I really do like the smell of Black Ash and sometimes linger at the woodshed taking it in. Cedar smells nice too.

 

[Later]

Dutch elm disease passed through here about 35 years ago. The city cut about 1000 trees and piled them in a field. I cut for two weekends, smelled campfire piss for the next two seasons. Never forget the smell.

 

[JBinKC]

I think Ailanthus aka tree of heaven wins the prize for the worst odor. Smells like a skunk when freshly cut and burnt rubber when burned.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Black locust stinks

x2.

Green locust smells like hot garbage when it's saw'd & split.

For burning it all smells about the same to me as long as it's dry.

 

[bsruther]

I think Ailanthus aka tree of heaven wins the prize for the worst odor. Smells like a skunk when freshly cut and burnt rubber when burned.

I agree. This is another non-native tree given to us by our asian friends.
We call it stink tree. The leaves resemble a walnut, sort of.

 

[wendell]

Cottonwood. The dead leaves in the fall stink. All the twigs that fall of it each fall stink. Even the living tree stinks.

 

[Sprawl]

Black Walnut has a smell a lot of people can't stand. It doesn't bother me too much and it burns forever.

 

[KarlP]

Got to be Sumac.

They don't smell much at all when dry. The smoke doesn't smell bad. But those things STINK when green.

 

[woodmeister]

piss oak, you'll know it when you split it.

 

[cityevader]

I cut Black Locust for the first time recently...smelled like doo-doo.

 

[Der Fuirmeister]

Wow, I didn't realize there were so many foul smelling types. With all the bad smelling wood, a new comer to this site must be wondering why we all burn the stuff!

I mentioned that I like the smell of Hard Maple and Apple. LLigetfa mentioned Cedar and Black Ash (which I like as well). Not to hijack this thread, I'm going to start a new thread about the best smelling wood.........

 

[CowboyAndy]

i hadnt realized it was worst smelling when fresh cut... honestly i hadnt noticed.

 

[Bubbavh]

I 2nd Black Walnut!! That stuff just stinks like SH!T!