4 types of firewood that can really smell terrible, beware of these for outdoor campfires. For the opposite (wonderful smelling firewood) check out this video: • THE Best Smelling Fire...
Spot on Jon! The silver maples are pretty bad sometimes when I've cut them near a marshy area. Elm is also one I make sure not to let much smoke escape my stove during a refill. Good stuff man--thanks!!
Wow! I am so happy I watched this! I have hundreds of elm saplings growing, on the land, where we just moved. Heard it grows fast. So thought, FIREWOOD! Well, maybe not! Lol
Cottonwood smells like hell when you burn it- like fresh urine. It's very distinctive, and not pleasant. If cut green, it also takes forever to dry- even the small limbs and sticks- because there's just so much water in it. You'll definitely know if you put a piece of green cottonwood on a fire- it stanks! Never heard of Elm stinking- it's the pain in the ASS to split part that makes me avoid it. Even with a splitter, it prefers to shred and tear, rather than split- leaving you with raggedy, stringy pieces. Too much work to be worth it, if there are other options.
@@charlesalbrecht6201 It's not TOO bad, when good and dry. Sounds like your pile may be well past the green and stinky stage. I've found that when I burn the dead barkless branches that fall off my tree, they don't have much of a smell- but those are VERY dead. I burn in a firepit or grill only- so aromatic wood gets my attention right away!
I bought some firewood from a local grocery store to burn in my little boat stove. Now my van and everything in it, including my clothes, reeks like a dumpster fire.
Heaven tree is a problem in so cal, and I believe the problem started here, they brought for our expected megadrought , back in the early 90's. It was introduced from Africa.
i've got access to what amounts to many many years worth of Silver maple. All yard trees- BIG ones. I haven't noticed any foul smell- in fact it smells pretty good- like Sugar Maple lite, if that makes sense. What IS a problem is that its stringy, twisty, tough and ornery to split. You often have to essentially chop your way through it. A maul is no good- it's too soft- just makes a dent but no cracks. I often have to resort to a sledge and wedge, and usually have to pound it all the way through- and still there will be stringy fibers holding it together. Yard trees are a pain! But it's free and plentiful, so there's that. lol. Time to invest in a splitter! It makes great campfire wood, as it burns hot and bright. Bradford pear that's not fully seasoned kind of stinks, too. It smells a lot like burning brush or leaves... Quite disappointing, as i was led to believe it was a great bbq wood. I wouldn't want my chicken or ribs tasting like that...
Tree of heaven is what I mostly use to heat the cannibal cauldron, neighbors claim to really like the smell I have not noticed any special smell. When i get in i throw some juniper on the coals for enhanced ambiance! This year I have burned it in the heating stove a little. It is used to make a lot of wooden steaming baskets.
Oak will pick up smells from the earth that it grows in too. We call it piss oak or barn yard oak. If it grew in a cow pasture or some other barn yard animal area, beware. You can tell when you cut and split it. It stinks.
Even if it just grows in the woods, Oak smells like sour mulch to me. I did get a batch of Post Oak that actually does stink like concentrated cow crap when you split it, and it isn't dry inside. I thought people were exaggerating when they said that... Nope! Luckily, it does NOT smell like that when burned.
I got free firewood last summer and had friends over. They said the firewood smell like "weed/skunk" LOL. I wonder if it was a buckeye I got. In Tennessee, there are 2 types of buckeye available yellow and Ohio.
Tree of heaven smells fine to me, but it DOES need extra time to season properly. I can see it smelling bad if you burn it too soon. I would guess its that peanut butter-looking pith inside. I have burned some because they grow on the borders of my yard and I've cut some down. I figured since I went through the labor of processing the trees I might as well split and keep the firewood. Its not really worth going out of your way to harvest for firewood because of that extra seasoning time and the fact that they tend to grow slender and don't yield all that much wood. To be fair though, I've never had a fire that was exclusively or even mostly tree of heaven so that might make a difference. This is all outdoor firepit action btw.
It is good information about the best and worst smelling firewood. I have a question. The tree service guys cut down a big maple tree in my yard 3 years ago and I have to wood piles up where the tree used to stand. I don't have a woodstove so it is just sitting. Now fungus is starting to grow on the bark. Does that mean the wood is no longer usable?
Hey Jon - thanks for the comment. Regarding the fungus, that’s a tough one for me personally. I’m pretty sure I’ve burned wood with fungus growing on it before, but then again, I’m not sure what specific fungus you’re dealing with, and if you’re burning it in an outdoor campfire (vs a closed wood stove) then you might have a higher chance of putting something bad into the air. I know that doesn’t directly answer your question, but I don’t know much about fungus and wouldn’t want to point you in the wrong direction. That might be something you can find an answer for by posting a photo on a forum.
@@burlybeaver6013 I did some research and the fungus is Trametes versicolor also known as Turkey Tail. I found that some people make tea out of it as a cancer treatment. These just appeared in the last few weeks. I was going to give the firewood to my neighbor for his fireplace.
I have a buckeye in my yard & I can confirm. I tried burning some a couple years ago & it smelled like a wet fart from someone on a strict diet of garbage.
Black Locust. I burned it outside once and it made my eyes burn, itch and water for 2 weeks. Great heat but noxious. Use only in a wood stove. Also Elm......they call it piss Elm. Nuff said.
@T-mac: It smells just as bad to burn... Got two HUGE ones in my yard, and sometimes burn the extremely copious crop of sticks they drop as tinder. Phew! You definitely know it's in there...
It stinks like piss when you cut and split it green, but I've never had a problem with the smell when burning and in fact it smells good. Try seasoning it for a full two years in the wind and sun. There's probably more Red Oak in Ontario and quebec than any other tree except sugar Maple.
Spot on Jon! The silver maples are pretty bad sometimes when I've cut them near a marshy area. Elm is also one I make sure not to let much smoke escape my stove during a refill. Good stuff man--thanks!!
Always good to hear from you Ricc - thanks for the comment.
Wow! I am so happy I watched this! I have hundreds of elm saplings growing, on the land, where we just moved. Heard it grows fast. So thought, FIREWOOD! Well, maybe not! Lol
Cottonwood smells like hell when you burn it- like fresh urine. It's very distinctive, and not pleasant. If cut green, it also takes forever to dry- even the small limbs and sticks- because there's just so much water in it. You'll definitely know if you put a piece of green cottonwood on a fire- it stanks!
Never heard of Elm stinking- it's the pain in the ASS to split part that makes me avoid it. Even with a splitter, it prefers to shred and tear, rather than split- leaving you with raggedy, stringy pieces. Too much work to be worth it, if there are other options.
Burning an old cottonwood pile now… thank you for this explanation
@@charlesalbrecht6201 It's not TOO bad, when good and dry. Sounds like your pile may be well past the green and stinky stage. I've found that when I burn the dead barkless branches that fall off my tree, they don't have much of a smell- but those are VERY dead. I burn in a firepit or grill only- so aromatic wood gets my attention right away!
I burn a lot of it but it is dry. When seasoned and dry, not a problem to burn. No smell.
cottonwood smells like cat piss if its not seasoned!
I bought some firewood from a local grocery store to burn in my little boat stove. Now my van and everything in it, including my clothes, reeks like a dumpster fire.
Weeping willow really stinks when its burned!
Heaven tree is a problem in so cal, and I believe the problem started here, they brought for our expected megadrought , back in the early 90's. It was introduced from Africa.
I just found your channel, I’m subscribed
Hey Kirk - welcome to the party, glad you found us!
i've got access to what amounts to many many years worth of Silver maple. All yard trees- BIG ones. I haven't noticed any foul smell- in fact it smells pretty good- like Sugar Maple lite, if that makes sense. What IS a problem is that its stringy, twisty, tough and ornery to split. You often have to essentially chop your way through it. A maul is no good- it's too soft- just makes a dent but no cracks. I often have to resort to a sledge and wedge, and usually have to pound it all the way through- and still there will be stringy fibers holding it together.
Yard trees are a pain! But it's free and plentiful, so there's that. lol. Time to invest in a splitter! It makes great campfire wood, as it burns hot and bright.
Bradford pear that's not fully seasoned kind of stinks, too. It smells a lot like burning brush or leaves... Quite disappointing, as i was led to believe it was a great bbq wood. I wouldn't want my chicken or ribs tasting like that...
Tree of heaven is what I mostly use to heat the cannibal cauldron, neighbors claim to really like the smell I have not noticed any special smell. When i get in i throw some juniper on the coals for enhanced ambiance! This year I have burned it in the heating stove a little. It is used to make a lot of wooden steaming baskets.
Oak will pick up smells from the earth that it grows in too. We call it piss oak or barn yard oak. If it grew in a cow pasture or some other barn yard animal area, beware. You can tell when you cut and split it. It stinks.
Even if it just grows in the woods, Oak smells like sour mulch to me. I did get a batch of Post Oak that actually does stink like concentrated cow crap when you split it, and it isn't dry inside. I thought people were exaggerating when they said that... Nope!
Luckily, it does NOT smell like that when burned.
I've heard sweetgum stinks when burned but haven't burned any except small fallen limbs in my burn pile. What do you think about that one?
I got free firewood last summer and had friends over. They said the firewood smell like "weed/skunk" LOL. I wonder if it was a buckeye I got. In Tennessee, there are 2 types of buckeye available yellow and Ohio.
Yeah, that could be buckeye.
@@burlybeaver6013 we thought it was our neighbors lighting up 🤣
Tree of heaven smells fine to me, but it DOES need extra time to season properly. I can see it smelling bad if you burn it too soon. I would guess its that peanut butter-looking pith inside. I have burned some because they grow on the borders of my yard and I've cut some down. I figured since I went through the labor of processing the trees I might as well split and keep the firewood. Its not really worth going out of your way to harvest for firewood because of that extra seasoning time and the fact that they tend to grow slender and don't yield all that much wood. To be fair though, I've never had a fire that was exclusively or even mostly tree of heaven so that might make a difference. This is all outdoor firepit action btw.
Poplar is my favourite smelling wood when it’s burning
It is good information about the best and worst smelling firewood. I have a question. The tree service guys cut down a big maple tree in my yard 3 years ago and I have to wood piles up where the tree used to stand. I don't have a woodstove so it is just sitting. Now fungus is starting to grow on the bark. Does that mean the wood is no longer usable?
Hey Jon - thanks for the comment. Regarding the fungus, that’s a tough one for me personally. I’m pretty sure I’ve burned wood with fungus growing on it before, but then again, I’m not sure what specific fungus you’re dealing with, and if you’re burning it in an outdoor campfire (vs a closed wood stove) then you might have a higher chance of putting something bad into the air.
I know that doesn’t directly answer your question, but I don’t know much about fungus and wouldn’t want to point you in the wrong direction. That might be something you can find an answer for by posting a photo on a forum.
@@burlybeaver6013 I did some research and the fungus is Trametes versicolor also known as Turkey Tail. I found that some people make tea out of it as a cancer treatment. These just appeared in the last few weeks. I was going to give the firewood to my neighbor for his fireplace.
We have tree of heaven all over our property here in Virginia. I wish there was a good use for it.
Yeah - they can be a real nuisance.
Box elder is pretty stinky too, both the smoke and the wood itself.
Nice add - I didn’t know that one, but that makes sense as box elder would probably be pretty similar to Silver Maple.
Sometimes oak smells like fermented trash or wine if its got water in hollow .....
I have a buckeye in my yard & I can confirm. I tried burning some a couple years ago & it smelled like a wet fart from someone on a strict diet of garbage.
😂
Black Locust. I burned it outside once and it made my eyes burn, itch and water for 2 weeks. Great heat but noxious. Use only in a wood stove. Also Elm......they call it piss Elm. Nuff said.
So buckeye is pretty much worthless like the football team. Got it! GO NOLES!
Lol - nice.
The worst smelling tree when cutting is Cottonwood but I've never burned it before.
@T-mac: It smells just as bad to burn... Got two HUGE ones in my yard, and sometimes burn the extremely copious crop of sticks they drop as tinder. Phew! You definitely know it's in there...
dogwood smells sharp and acrid when burning the few times i burnt it
Silver maple!
Eucalyptus smells like weed when you first start burning it, 😅.
You forgot boxelder
Poplar is awful smelling as well!
I burn a lot of elm and never caught a bad smell. There’s several different species of elm though.
Box elder stink weeping willow
Red Oak itself smells really bad. Real acrid smoke as well.
It stinks like piss when you cut and split it green, but I've never had a problem with the smell when burning and in fact it smells good. Try seasoning it for a full two years in the wind and sun. There's probably more Red Oak in Ontario and quebec than any other tree except sugar Maple.
@@andrealovasz9851 okay so, red oak smells amazing once you split it open sometimes. Just happened to me. Lmao. I don't even know what to say anymore
Add Rusty Blackhaw - smells like cat urine
That’s a new one to me - where’s it grow?
@@burlybeaver6013 - East Texas - Cherokee County.
Worst smelling firewood is black locust, imo!!!
Piss oak!
Locust
Fig stinks.
Cottonwood,…smells like cat pee.
slippery elm. barffff