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  1. newstove Member

    joined: Mar 25, 2009
    139 posts
    Central MA
    Gotta love it - I've got about 3 cords of sugar maple stacked and seasoning. Nice breezy, reasonably warm sunny day today. Whole backyard is starting to smell somewhat like maple syrup.

    Of course, the side yard smells like, well, my wife's best description is puppy poop. ;-) 4 cords of freshly split red oak (still splitting some of it) and that's pretty much what it smells like right now (according to her.) To me, it's not THAT bad. ;-) ;-)

    Any other interesting wood smells anyone wants to share? I'm always curious about how the various wood species smell...
    #1

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  2. smokinj Minister of Fire

    joined: Aug 11, 2008
    15,420 posts
    Anderson, Indiana
    willow smells just like crap!
  3. LLigetfa Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 9, 2008
    7,310 posts
    NW Ontario
    I've got 12 cord of Black Ash bucked up that is releasing a nice aroma. I've always liked the smell of Ash. My very large leaf and grass compost pile is only a couple of turnings away from being done and it's at the stage that it has that nice earthy smell.

    As for dog poop, I taught the groan to go in the bush so none of that to worry about.
  4. Wood Duck Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 26, 2009
    3,764 posts
    Central PA
    Black Birch has a really nice minty smell - smells just like birch beer, of course. That is my favorite wood to work with because of the smell. I also have a lot of Eastern Red Cedar, which has a great aroma. The smell of cedar lasts a long while after the wood has been split. The smell of black birch doesn't seem to last nearly as long.
  5. Brian VT New Member

    joined: Jul 30, 2008
    807 posts
    Southern VT
    I like to chew on a branch when turkey hunting if I find one along the way. It's sometimes practical because when I go out hunting at 4:30 a.m. there's a chance I might've forgot to brush my tooths and black birch leaves a better scent than the leeks. LOL
  6. CTBurner Member

    joined: Aug 4, 2008
    182 posts
    SE CT
    there's always piss oak
  7. biggins08 New Member

    joined: Sep 20, 2006
    227 posts
    Springfield MA
    Sounds like the time I pissed on your floor CT!
  8. CTBurner Member

    joined: Aug 4, 2008
    182 posts
    SE CT
    naw you couldn't have, you're still alv
  9. Backwoods Savage Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 14, 2007
    24,194 posts
    Michigan
    There are not many woods that I don't like the smell of. Lots of people don't like red oak but I like it. About the worst I've ever smelled was hybrid poplar and hybrid elm. Cottonwood isn't too great either.
  10. newstove Member

    joined: Mar 25, 2009
    139 posts
    Central MA
    Just picked up about 1/2-3/4 of a cord of Cherry today.

    Smells nice. I put it over in my to-be-split pile, where most of the oak is.

    I now have a cherry-puppy poop smelling pile of wood. ;-)
  11. myzamboni Minister of Fire

    joined: May 22, 2007
    1,071 posts
    Silicon Valley
    The oak I split a couple months ago smelled like empty wine barrels (that slightly sour wine smell). I like it!
  12. Flatbedford Minister of Fire

    My back yard stack is now a mix of Oak, Birch, Maple, and Locust. It changes as you walk along the wood pile. the Birch is nice. The Oak is fading, and something smells a little earthy and kinda rotten.
  13. joshlaugh New Member

    joined: May 1, 2009
    330 posts
    Granville, Ohio
    I never noticed a good smell or any smell for that matter from sugar maple and I have over 5 cords of it right now. It makes sense though.

    My favorite would be black cherry. It smells great cutting, splitting, and burning it. I like to have some burning in an outdoor firepit even while I split would in the spring and fall.
  14. firefighterjake Minister of Fire

    joined: Jul 22, 2008
    13,477 posts
    Unity/Bangor, Maine
    Fresh cut and split cedar + = smells great

    Fresh cut and split elm - + smells like crap
  15. karri0n New Member

    joined: Nov 18, 2008
    1,148 posts
    Eastern CT

    Where do we get this elusive Cedar Plus???

    Must be a Maine thing.
  16. firefighterjake Minister of Fire

    joined: Jul 22, 2008
    13,477 posts
    Unity/Bangor, Maine
    Ah that would be a normal White Cedar . . . that has been peed on by the Great Albino Moose of the Unity Hinterlands . . . the moose pee (the "plus" in Cedar +) gives the wood a unique smell which appeals to the typical Mainer (i.e. the guy who has not shaven since the October 2008 or bathed in the last week or two). Since Connect-the-dots does not hae the Great Albino Moose of the Unity Hinterlands I am afraid you would only be able to use regular, ol' white cedar . . . which is pretty darn close to smelling like Cedar +. :) ;)
  17. Tfin New Member

    joined: Jul 24, 2007
    556 posts
    Central Maine
    To me nothing smells better than freshly split red oak........intoxicating!
  18. Flatbedford Minister of Fire

    Yup!
  19. Wet1 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 27, 2008
    2,528 posts
    USA
    I have about 8 cords of oak (red and white) to split and stack. I'm going to wait until it's really warm and all my neighbors (which are pretty close) have their windows down. I hope they like the smell of oak! :cheese:

    I actually feel bad about doing this, but it has to be done...
  20. PA. Woodsman Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 26, 2007
    642 posts
    Emmaus, Pennsylvania
    Lots of good answers here; if I had my choice I'd go with Apple, Cherry, Sassafras and Black Birch for their aromas.
  21. sweetheat Member

    joined: Mar 7, 2008
    230 posts
    MDI/ME
    I think my favorite is yellow birch (wintergreen) then split piles of hard maple, beeches and oaks, and a shop full of spruce, pine, and hemlock timbers can't be beat. sweetheat
  22. pulldownclaw New Member

    joined: Mar 2, 2007
    396 posts
    Richmond, Va
    I don't mind red oak either, smells like wine and money in the bank! I've also been splitting some fresh cut southern pine, it smells great, like natural pinesol!
  23. karri0n New Member

    joined: Nov 18, 2008
    1,148 posts
    Eastern CT
    Ok I can agree that read oak kinda smells like wine. Probably why I don't like the smell of it. I can't stand the smell of wine.
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