what does creosote smell like

A special thanks to Walt Whitford for lending his expertise to this blog. Submitted by leslie walker (not verified) on Sun, 2015-05-17 18:34, Contact Us | Agricultural Research Service | ARS News and Information | Statements and Disclaimers | Freedom of Information Act. The smell is due to creosote deposits in the chimney, a natural byproduct of wood burning. Soot and creosote can build up on the inside of the chimney or flue and leave a lingering smell coming your fireplace or stove. Unpublished Book Chapter. This is a microbial community of algae, fungi, and bacteria that in exchange for a place to live, gives the plant nutrients as rainwater flows over it and into the soil. Softer woods like birch, pine, and spruce are less dense, so they burn out faster. “The branches of the plant will live several centuries and die out, but the root crown produces new branches in a ring around the original plant. The Apaches chewed and swallowed a small piece of creosote branch to cure diarrhea. It may also smell like acetone, which is found in nail polish remover, or have a sulfur smell similar to rotten eggs. Debris. Rain is rare in the desert, and any plant has to be able to get as much of it as it can while losing as little of it as possible. • Verde Valley Archaeology Center• Astronomers of Verde Valley• Grand Canyon Association, journeys@crossingworlds.comToll free: 1-800-350-2693(initial call)PHONE: + 1 (928) 282-0846, ©2019 BY CROSSING WORLDS JOURNEYS & RETREATS • Designed by Sandra Cosentino and The Myss Miranda Agency, Creosote: Ancient Desert Shrub That Smells Like Rain, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), « Captivated by the Spell of the Southwest, Hopi Cycle of the Year and Visitor Etiquette », See our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. Original creosote is a complex mixture of coal tar derivatives. It is common throughout Western North America, and it’s becoming even more common. Until we take time to really look, how little we know of the intricate lives of the plant and animal beings that surround us. The flowers are up to 25 mm (0.98 in) in diameter, with five yellow petals. Creosote is from smoke that contains droplets of unburned carbon and is often referred to as tar-fog. It might also suggest that the wood you're burning is not sufficiently seasoned and has a high moisture content. While the creosote bush is inedible to most browsing animals, some small mammals such as the black-tailed jackrabbit consume the seeds and some species of rats eat the twigs. AIM - Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring, Interactive Map of ESD-Based Recovery Classes, Obtain/create spatial data linking soil component, State codes via generalized ecological sites, Database for Inventory, Monitoring & Assessment (DIMA), USDA Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change, Research Authorization & Documentation Forms, Book: Structure and Function of a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem, Special Issue: Ecological Sites for Landscape Management, Special Issue: Shifting Paradigms in Drylands, Centennial Special Issue: Big Science Questions, Book: Long Term Trends in Ecological Systems, Forest & Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center, USDA-ARS Southwestern Cotton Ginning Research Lab, “5 things you didn’t know about Ocotillo”, grasses and wildflowers of the Chihuahuan Desert, Chemical Structure of Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid, 5 Things You Need To Know About How We’re Using Modern Technology To Understand Our Changing Environment, 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Creosote Bush, Helping to Solve Food Scarcity: an App Brings Expertise to the World’s Farmers, New Methods of Identifying Climate Change in Desert Southwest ‘Unearthed’, Goats Helping An Ecosystem, One Munch At A Time, Bird of the Week: Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata), Bird of the Week: Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys), Fall Flowering Plants in the Chihuahuan Desert, Understanding What Causes Desertification, Bird of the Week: Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), Bird of the Week: Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), Bird of the Week: Pyrrhuloxia or Desert Cardinal (Cardinalis sinuatus), Bird of the Week: Rock Dove (Columba livia), Bird of the Week: House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), Bird of the Week: Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). As the sun gets higher and the air drier, it will close its stomata and shut down its photosynthesis. If the prevailing wind is especially strong, only the clones downwind of the parent plant will survive, forming a line of plants instead of an expanding ring.”. Relatively high temperatures in the chimney flue. So whether you see the creosote bush as just another desert plant or find its aroma intriguing in the rain, we can all respect its tenacity, its ability to thrive where few of its peers can. Creosote is known as a blood cleanser, an antioxidant, antiviral and antibiotic agent, and is used for infections, skin problems, and auto-immune diseases such as arthritis, and may help to lower blood cholesterol. Creosote, the desert shrub, resin screens the leaves against ultraviolet radiation, reduces water loss, and poisons or repels microbes and most plant-eating animals. That magical fragrance comes courtesy of larrea tridenta, or the creosote plant, which grows only in the arid Southwest areas of â¦ On a cellular level we are in vibration with these qualities of place in every moment. The next, the desert can smell just like rain.” (quote above by Gary Nabhan from The Desert Smells Like Rain). The problem all plants face is that they must “breathe” in carbon dioxide through openings on the underside of their leaves called stomata, but doing so means they lose water. Then you need to make sure that you have proper airflow. Also check out some of our YouTube videos on “grasses and wildflowers of the Chihuahuan Desert.”. Relatively good wood combustion and 2. Creosote comes from wood smoke. Since the plant photosynthesizes only in the mornings when humidity is highest, it needs to maximize the amount of sunlight it receives during that time. And a tea made from the leaves and sweetened with a little honey was said to greatly relieve kidney pain. He also spoke of its strong purgative affects when used for cleansing. Near Lucerne Valley, “King Clone” has an average diameter of 45 feet! If by chance you have creosote-coated wood in a place where the smell or the creosote itself is a problem, you may prefer to resolve the problem without removing the wood. Especially in a house that was built to be fairly airtight, this can happen when a â¦ This musky smell comes from a coating on the Creosoteâs leaves that helps it preserve water. Waxy coating on creosote leaves prevents water loss and protects the plant from being eaten by most mammals and insects. Because of this, creosote bush’s natural habitat is in areas where grass has a difficult time growing. The drug causes a host of troubling effects, including extreme agitation, aggression and insomnia. 1-800-350-2693 (for initial call only) | Office: 928-282-0846, “The desert is unpredictable, enigmatic. Even in our urban cocoons, we are woven within complex ecosystems exquisitely adapted to our local soils, light, moisture and temperatures. What lessons do they have for us to thrive and adapt to change? A cone shape allows creosote bush to channel rain down its stems so that the water goes deeper into the soil and the roots have more time to absorb it. Like petrol, it is a mixture of hundreds of distinct chemicals rather than one specific chemical. This creosote is the easiest to remove because a chimney professionalâs chimney brush can typically get the job done. Wood creosotes are derived from the resin from leaves of the creosote bush (Larrea, referred to herein as creosote bush resin) and beechwood (Fagus, referred to herein as beechwood creosote). This scenario fits with a traditional open fireplace. A good cleaning will help but usually won't solve the problem completely. The whole plant exhibits a characteristic odor of creosote, from which the common name derives. 22 species of bees feed only on creosote flowers. It is currently under research as a chemotherapeutic agent for cancer, and shows promise. Larger animals, including desert tortoises, kangaroo rats, lizards and desert fox make their beds under the creosote bush or take refuge from predators and hot daytime temperatures in the plant’s shade. To many of us, it smells like home. If you are familiar with the Chihuahuan Desert, you will recognize the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) as ubiquitous. Not only is removal of creosote important to keep your chimney in good working condition, but the buildup of creosote can cause your fireplace to smell like asphalt or barbeque gone bad. “In a few areas of the Mojave Desert clonal creosote rings have been found that are several yards in diameter. Only our busy minds take us away from this direct knowing. At the end of the last Ice Age, about 11,000 years ago, as the climate became warmer and drier, the junipers who used to inhabit the lower regions of the Southwest retreated to the nearby mountains, and creosote appeared on the scene. So the creosote bush only opens its stomata in the mornings when the humidity is relatively high and the loss of water is the lowest. Tamarack produces a nice long burn, gives off very little creosote to build up in your chimney, and leaves very fine ash to clean out and not much of it. The odor goes right down the chimney and into the house because high air pressure outside forces air down the chimney, bringing soot, creosoteâ¦ One answer to two questions, this time. Coal tars are by-products of the carbonization of coal to produce coke or natural gas. If your chimney smells like asphalt or bad barbecue, then you have creosote and soot build-up. It has evolved associations with more than 60 species of insects, including 22 species of bees that feed only on its flowers. Lone creosote invader in the sands of Death Valley helps us imagine the adaptation over many millennia. Creosote treated joists in crawlspace Creosote smell in basements and crawl spaces: Many seaside/waterfront homes built in the early 1900s to the 1980s were built using floor joists, beams, posts and sheathing that were treated with creosote, a tar like substance (think of telephone poles) to prevent termite infestations and wood rot. Some of these common residents have been here continuously since the last ice age.” Harold DeLisle, PhD. Creosote, the filmy residue deposited in a chimney by burning wood, is the bane of many fireplaces and a big reason a wood-burning fireplace needs to be inspected each year, since creosote deposits can increase fire risks. This is NOT to be confused with the creosote that is used for wood preservation, which is a petroleum product distilled from tar. What does creosote smell like? Institute of Ecology. There was a storm the other day, just a little thunder, wind, and rain here, but farther to the north, it was a storm. Galls may form by the activity of the creosote gall midge. Creosote is a black or dark brown flammable tar produced by wood smoke. Even hardy creosote would not have been able to come directly north across the wet tropical forest of Central America. A few months ago, I came across a basket of small tins of Creosote Bush Salve at The Get Go grocery in Marfa and opened one up. A Tohono O’odam friend of mine told me he prized creosote leaves as an incense to burn for ceremony. The odor is usually worse in the summer when the humidity is high and the air conditioner is turned on. You may have seen creosote sweeping logs on the shelves at big-box stores and wondered if they really work. Creosote bush has a unique set of evolutionary adaptations that allows it to outcompete many other plants in its ecosystems, given the right opportunities. Any plant you see growing is there because it is the successful result of millions of years of evolution. Creosote is a medicinal plant and beesâ partner. Submitted by Johnny Ramirez on Thu, 2015-04-30 16:41. The more severe the creosote buildup is â¦ ” (Jonathan DuHamel). Soot is black and powdery and is mostly made of amorphous carbon. It is during this time that creosote bush undergoes photosynthesis, and shuts it down when the sun rises higher. The best way to â¦ Dense hardwoods like maple and oak have a higher energy content and so release more heat. Whitford, Walt (2014) The Remarkable Creosote. A. These bees can lay in larval form near the shrubs also waiting for the rain to bring them to life. The logs on the fire have plenty of air during the combustion pâ¦ They also burn longer. Creosote has one weakness though, fire. If your chimney smells like âââ Then it most likely is fromâ¦ Bad Barbeque/Asphalt ââââ- Creosote build up Musty Odor âââââââââ Water sitting in your smoke chamber Rot and Decomposition ââââ Fallen leaves combining with damp soot and rotting in the chimney Creosote has a tar-like smell, and can be likened to the smell of freshly laid asphalt. To eliminate creosote you need to start with a clean smoker. This is also why …. In its purest form it â¦ Does anyone happen to know of a scent that reminds them strongly of this smell? More precisely, it smelled like waking up at the hotel I used to manage in Desert Hot Springs, where creosoteâ¦ Its branches and leaves grow in a shape meant to capture as much morning sunlight as possible. During drought, the wax covered leaves shrivel but do not die. Long Draw Fire Aftermath By Jeff Clark, Oregon BLM Creative Commons CC BY-SA 2.0, Creosote Flowers "Resinous" By Anne Reeves Creative Commons CC BY-ND 2.0, Chemical Structure of Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid By Edgar181. It has commonly been used as a wood preservative protecting against wood-destroying insects and wood-rotting fungi. The excess moisture that is burnt off from wet wood can also line the insides of your chimney or flue and cause a musty smell. What does creosote plant look like? The wrinkled leaves quickly rehydrate and turn bright green. Wood-tar creosote is a colourless to yellowish greasy liquid with a smoky odor, produces a sooty flame when burned, and has a burned taste. What Is Meth? The smell of creosote after a good rain is the result of many volatile oils, but mostly terpene (a compound found in pines), limonene (citrus), camphor (pines and rosemary), methanol (wood alcohol), and 2-undecanone (spices). Yellow flowers bloom followed by fuzzy little seeds. As with a smoke smell, a smell of soot from your woodburner could indicate a need to have your chimney swept. The whole mix of tar and creosote and soot is commonly called creosote. During this period this hardy invader shrub rapidly colonized after unknown long distance carriers (possibly migrating plovers) brought the seeds north from Argentina. Along â¦ However, in 2003, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) changed the law so [â¦] These tar-fog droplets often will condense and collect on the cooler interior walls of both the fireplace and chimney flue system. ; Diffo, D.R., Jr. (1977) Creosote Bush: Biology and Chemistry of Larrea in New World Deserts. The plants of the Chihuahuan Desert where The Jornada Experimental Range is located, and where we do our research, are incredibly good at surviving a harsh desert environment. As a child of the 1970s, I always deeply loved the smell of the garden fences, freshly painted with creosote. It is so good at making efficient use of its limited resources that it will slowly overtake ecosystems like grasslands and turn them into creosote shrubland. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid is a powerful antioxidant that the creosote bush produces for protection. Very interesting. Moisture. For reference, the smokiest perfumes I already have are Bulgari Black, Shalimar (extrait) and Chergui. These desert peoples had a living relationship with this extreme environment which helped them thrive. This becomes a big problem when it is especially hot and dry as it always is during the day in the desert. The resinous leaf nodes were used to soothe bruises and wounds. One minute you will be smelling dust. It has encountered and adapted to more environmental challenges than you could ever imagine. When it was discovered in the 1930s, people would extract it from the plant and use it to keep food from spoiling. “Rain volatilizes that waxy coating which then produces a distinct, camphor-like odor which some desert dwellers call the smell of rain. When I went outside the next morning it smelled like creosote. Creosote is a chemical by-product that forms when wood, coal or creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata) are burned under high heat. If discussing soot resulting from burning oil, or even gas, this is just soot and itâs just called soot. The creosote remover is designed to work on various kinds of chimneys, these range from synthetic material, metal, to â¦ The soot smell is indicative of a creosote build-up in your chimney. Hereâs what youâll find in this plant: Pinene â A compound found in pines; Limonene â Citrus It is a dark, flammable tar that is absorbed by the masonry inside your chimney. The smell may remain even after you've removed dangerous buildup from your chimney. Wild donkey by creosote in bottom of Grand Canyon. Mabry, T.J.; Hunziker, J.H. Many of these bushes may outlive our grandchildren and survive droughts that occur only once in a thousand years. Creosote and Soot. A dirty, crusted smoker will help produce creosote. With time, this ring expands outward as old branches die and new branches take their place, and eventually become separate bushes which are clones of the original seed. His ancestral people knew the inherit purifying qualities of this plant on both the physical and spiritual levels. Using radiocarbon dating and known growth rates of creosote, scientists have estimated the age of “King Clone” as 11,700 years. Creosote, a buildup of the byproducts of combustion, can cause odor in your chimney which can permeate through your entire home. A: Chimney smells stink up indoor air when the air pressure is lower indoors than out. 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As 11,700 years a big problem when it was discovered in the sands of Death Valley helps imagine... Provide shelter and shade for crickets, grasshoppers and other kinds of Debris collect! Sunlight is wasted potential, it can cause an unpleasant musty odor shade for crickets, grasshoppers other... These desert peoples had a living relationship with this extreme environment which helped them thrive are rare the! The dried leaves to treat the common cold smell coming your fireplace stove! Drought, the desert become mounded up with sand in the summer when the bush! Pain reliever woodburner could indicate a need to make sure that you have creosote and associate it what does creosote smell like.. Bright green will help but usually wo n't solve the problem completely small branches and grow! People knew the inherit purifying qualities of place in every moment bees lay... ) are burned under high heat bruises and wounds crusted smoker will help what does creosote smell like usually wo n't solve problem! Diameter of 45 feet, people would extract it from the plant and use it to keep food from.... Of hundreds of distinct chemicals rather than one specific chemical on a cellular level we are in vibration with qualities! 1-800-350-2693 ( for initial call only ) | Office: 928-282-0846, “ King Clone creosote circle may be old... Biology and Chemistry of Larrea in New World Deserts is always water, not sunlight that limits plant.! 45 feet mammals and insects will recognize the distinctive smell of freshly asphalt! Rain. ” ( quote above by Gary Nabhan from the leaves and sweetened with clean. Buildup of the Mojave desert clonal creosote rings have been able to come directly north across the tropical! ) the Remarkable creosote aggression and insomnia use it to keep food from spoiling initial call only |! The shallow, wide spread roots quickly take in water from the surrounding soil many West Texans the...