The various smell of different wood types

I know the smell of certain different types of wood has been mentioned many times in here throughout many threads but I don’t recall seeing one dedicated to just smell and which ones people like or dislike. The other day I was cutting some tree of heaven logs and couldn’t help but notice it smelled like freshly dug, raw peanuts. Yesterday, one of my helpers asked me about the sugar maple we were splitting. He asked what kind of wood it was and it had been in a lake with fish around it. Haha. Sure enough when I put it close to my nose, I could see where he was coming from. Anyone else have any comparisons? What is your favorite/least favorite wood to cut and split due to odor? My favorite by far is cherry and I have never found wood that had an odor I couldn’t stand.

 

Agree, there is none I cannot stand. All have a distinct odor that I like to smell. TOH probably my least favorite, Eastern Red Cedar is pretty fragrant, might be my favorite.

 

White oak or chestnut oak are my favorite, hands down. I'm also a big fan of cherry and sassafras. I've had cottonwood and elm that were pretty.... ripe, but even so I had to get a good whiff of them, repeatedly I guess I don't find any kind of wood too offensive for my sniffer.

 

Rotting blocust bark is an awful smell. A pile of green cut split red oak smells of vomit/vinegar to my nose. Thankfully doesn't smell that way when burned. I enjoy the smell of cut Sassafrass. My favorite smell when burning is Walnut bark...I get a parfume from it. Not near as strong without bark. Sycamore smells like river driftwood, even if it hasn't been in the river when burning. Green black cherry has a 'tangy' smell for me.

 

Elm smells like beaver castor to me

 

Many people like the smell of Cherry however if I never smelt it again I would be perfectly fine with it.

The pungent smell of green Red Oak makes me think of a hot stove in the future. I like it.

 

I like red cedar, cherry, hickory, oaks and evergreens I don’t like cottonwood. I’m sure there are others I like. I also haven’t met a tree that I refuse to cut/split.

 

I like white oak and cherry. We have cut some pin oak that was rank/sour...
We have also cut some hickory that smells like a sweaty horse.
We sawed some persimmon years ago that smelled like an ashtray...

 

The only one’s I might be close to disliking are Cottonwood and Boxelder. Everything else I enjoy.

 

I get tired of smelling Hickory and Pecan while splitting and I could smell White Oak indefinitely. Willow Oak will have your clothes and yard smelling like manure. Chinese Pistache has a strong aroma that I’m indifferent to. Cherry and Sassafras is pleasant.
I don’t mind the smell of Pine.

 

Sassafrass and white oak are my favorite. Kentucky coffee tree smells like $hitt to me. Most others I like.

 

Probably the best smell I’ve had was the cords upon cords of fresh split apple. Then after packing my basement with about 2 cords of it, the smell was again very pleasant. Even the smoke scent was liked.
When splitting white oak, I cannot resist taking wiffs of the vanilla/hint of whiskey smelling chunks of wood. Then the stacks give off the same perfume.
Cherry is maybe just under them for me. I do love it for cooking.
When wood working, I enjoy walnut smells.

The only unpleasant experiences were partially rotted red oak (smelled of vomit but fresh cut and not decayed, I like quite a bit) and the maggots under honey locust bark. That stunk.

 

The Blue Oak I cut can have a slight cat pizz smell. My favorite is Lodge Pole Pine.

 

Fresh split apple and pear are probably my favorite, followed by cherry and then red oak. I don’t often cut a bunch of fruit trees, but I enjoy it when I have it. Red oak is like a weed tree here, and I get bored smelling it after a few cords. Also like making kindling with white pine, the smell makes me think of camping as a kid.

Not a fan of the smell of elm, it smells like wet dog to me.

 

Sassafras, black birch and white oak (especially chestnut oak) my hardwood favorites. Eastern red cedar and Eastern white pine my favorite softwoods. I dont mind the smell of red oak even though its not that pleasant. Ive also grown accustomed to the manure smell of pin oak. I dont mind the "hospital bandages" smell of elm (not sure of variety) as Eric Wanderweg describes it.

Being a black locust aficionado ive become used to to the aroma of fresh split green even though its not the most pleasant smell. Loosening BL bark is the nastiest wood smell by far. So bad the fly maggots love it. Really grosses me out.

 

I'm partial to cherry, sassafras, honey locust and blue spruce. I'll cut anything regardless of smell.

 

we call that pizz elm here in Wisconsin

 

Enjoying all of the responses but does anyone have any other smell comparisons? This wood smells like…the fresh peanuts and fish got me really thinking.