When it was discovered in the 1930s, people would extract it from the plant and use it to keep food from spoiling. What lessons do they have for us to thrive and adapt to change? Creosote, which smells much like mothballs, is a chemical concoction that has been widely used as a preservative to treat pier pilings, railroad ties, utility poles, and other wood that sometimes winds up in the construction of a home or office building. Fortunately, you can remove this smell from your home. There is enough moisture in your breath to volatilize the wax. The term is almost exclusively used when talking about burning wood. This type of creosote is formed as a result of the combination of: 1. Creosote Bush Salve became a bona fide business in 2012. These mysterious looking growth rings then become mounded up with sand in the center. It has encountered and adapted to more environmental challenges than you could ever imagine. 1-800-350-2693 (for initial call only) | Office: 928-282-0846, “The desert is unpredictable, enigmatic. Very interesting. ; Diffo, D.R., Jr. (1977) Creosote Bush: Biology and Chemistry of Larrea in New World Deserts. A Tohono O’odam friend of mine told me he prized creosote leaves as an incense to burn for ceremony. 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. If your chimney smells like âââ Then it most likely is from⦠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 And a tea made from the leaves and sweetened with a little honey was said to greatly relieve kidney pain. Creosote, a buildup of the byproducts of combustion, can cause odor in your chimney which can permeate through your entire home. A good cleaning will help but usually won't solve the problem completely. It might also suggest that the wood you're burning is not sufficiently seasoned and has a high moisture content. Creosote build up like this is a major cause of fireplace odors. It is common throughout Western North America, and it’s becoming even more common. Any plant you see growing is there because it is the successful result of millions of years of evolution. 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. 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. The next, the desert can smell just like rain.” (quote above by Gary Nabhan from The Desert Smells Like Rain). One minute you will be smelling dust. 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. What does creosote smell like? First stage creosote is mostly ashy soot. Soot and creosote can build up on the inside of the chimney or flue and leave a lingering smell coming your fireplace or stove. Only our busy minds take us away from this direct knowing. Video of the Day Softer woods like birch, pine, and spruce are less dense, so they burn out faster. Today creosote, Larrea tridentata, is a dominant or co-dominant member of most plant communities in the Mohave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts. 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. 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 wrinkled leaves quickly rehydrate and turn bright green. He also spoke of its strong purgative affects when used for cleansing. Along ⦠The smell may remain even after you've removed dangerous buildup from your chimney. Also check out some of our YouTube videos on “grasses and wildflowers of the Chihuahuan Desert.”. In its purest form it ⦠Dense hardwoods like maple and oak have a higher energy content and so release more heat. If discussing soot resulting from burning oil, or even gas, this is just soot and itâs just called soot. Folk medicine practitioners have used creosote for centuries as a salve or ointment, especially as an antiseptic and pain reliever. Some of these common residents have been here continuously since the last ice age.” Harold DeLisle, PhD. This creosote is the easiest to remove because a chimney professionalâs chimney brush can typically get the job done. Submitted by Johnny Ramirez on Thu, 2015-04-30 16:41. Eliminating Creosote . Galls may form by the activity of the creosote gall midge. Its branches and leaves grow in a shape meant to capture as much morning sunlight as possible. Relatively high temperatures in the chimney flue. Unfortunately, creosote has an aroma that is very persistent, so use of creosote is limited to a few outdoor sites. The smell is due to creosote deposits in the chimney, a natural byproduct of wood burning. Creosote is from smoke that contains droplets of unburned carbon and is often referred to as tar-fog. A dirty, crusted smoker will help produce creosote. 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. Creosote and Soot. What does creosote plant look like? It has commonly been used as a wood preservative protecting against wood-destroying insects and wood-rotting fungi. If there is water in the chimney, it can cause an unpleasant musty odor. Desert creosote bushes provide shelter and shade for crickets, grasshoppers and other desert insects. As the sun gets higher and the air drier, it will close its stomata and shut down its photosynthesis. 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). Coal tars are by-products of the carbonization of coal to produce coke or natural gas. Creosote comes from wood smoke. When rains do come, the shallow, wide spread roots quickly take in water from the surrounding soil. It has evolved associations with more than 60 species of insects, including 22 species of bees that feed only on its flowers. 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. 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. If you have a small water smoker there probably isn't a lot you can do to hold in smoke or control how much gets away. Unpublished Book Chapter. Many West Texans recognize the distinctive smell of creosote and associate it with rain. The Rutland Dry Creosote Remover is formulated to deeply penetrate thick, sticky, tar-like creosotes and chemically transforms it into an ash-like powder that can be swept off like dust. This scenario fits with a traditional open fireplace. This is also why …. Debris. They also burn longer. His ancestral people knew the inherit purifying qualities of this plant on both the physical and spiritual levels. A fresh, earthy aroma wafted out. âThe desert is ⦠” (Jonathan DuHamel). 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. Leaves, small branches and other kinds of debris can collect on top of the chimney. The logs on the fire have plenty of air during the combustion p⦠Fire keeps creosote bush in check The creosote bush thrives in the desert. If your chimney smells like asphalt or bad barbecue, then you have creosote and soot build-up. The soot smell is indicative of a creosote build-up in your chimney. There was a storm the other day, just a little thunder, wind, and rain here, but farther to the north, it was a storm. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid is a powerful antioxidant that the creosote bush produces for protection. A: Chimney smells stink up indoor air when the air pressure is lower indoors than out. 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. Institute of Ecology. 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). These tar-fog droplets often will condense and collect on the cooler interior walls of both the fireplace and chimney flue system. 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. Near Lucerne Valley, “King Clone” has an average diameter of 45 feet! Creosote bush grows slowly, and if grassland that it grows in catches fire when it is still small, it will die off while the grass grows back. Creosote: Ancient Desert Shrub That Smells Like Rain Creosote is a hardy Pleistocene invader with rain-volatilized, aromatic leaves. When I went outside the next morning it smelled like creosote. You may have seen creosote sweeping logs on the shelves at big-box stores and wondered if they really work. Because of this, creosote bush’s natural habitat is in areas where grass has a difficult time growing. The odor goes right down the chimney and into the house because high air pressure outside forces air down the chimney, bringing soot, creosote⦠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. It is a dark, flammable tar that is absorbed by the masonry inside your chimney. More precisely, it smelled like waking up at the hotel I used to manage in Desert Hot Springs, where creosote⦠The more severe the creosote buildup is ⦠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. 22 species of bees feed only on creosote flowers. What Does Creosote Smell Like? During this period this hardy invader shrub rapidly colonized after unknown long distance carriers (possibly migrating plovers) brought the seeds north from Argentina. The second and most common culprit is creosote. As a child of the 1970s, I always deeply loved the smell of the garden fences, freshly painted with creosote. It is during this time that creosote bush undergoes photosynthesis, and shuts it down when the sun rises higher. To many of us, it smells like home. For reference, the smokiest perfumes I already have are Bulgari Black, Shalimar (extrait) and Chergui. 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. Wild donkey by creosote in bottom of Grand Canyon. 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). Original creosote is a complex mixture of coal tar derivatives. The beetles look like walking seeds. “Rain volatilizes that waxy coating which then produces a distinct, camphor-like odor which some desert dwellers call the smell of rain. These nutrients are rare in the desert and give the plant a huge leg up over its competition. The creosote remover is designed to work on various kinds of chimneys, these range from synthetic material, metal, to ⦠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. “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. Moisture. (Harold DeLisle, PhD). Mabry, T.J.; Hunziker, J.H. The best way to ⦠Then you need to make sure that you have proper airflow. Whitford, Walt (2014) The Remarkable Creosote. Many of these bushes may outlive our grandchildren and survive droughts that occur only once in a thousand years. What Does a Creosote Bush Smell Like? Yellow flowers bloom followed by fuzzy little seeds. These bees can lay in larval form near the shrubs also waiting for the rain to bring them to life. 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. The whole plant exhibits a characteristic odor of creosote, from which the common name derives. But practices like fire suppression, or overgrazing that limits how much fuel there is for fire, allows the creosote bush to take over. During drought, the wax covered leaves shrivel but do not die. On many creosote bushes you will see black areas on some branches. Even in our urban cocoons, we are woven within complex ecosystems exquisitely adapted to our local soils, light, moisture and temperatures. If you are familiar with the Chihuahuan Desert, you will recognize the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) as ubiquitous. Waxy coating on creosote leaves prevents water loss and protects the plant from being eaten by most mammals and insects. Creosote is a chemical by-product that forms when wood, coal or creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata) are burned under high heat. Hereâs what youâll find in this plant: Pinene â A compound found in pines; Limonene â Citrus Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that can be smoked, snorted, injected or swallowed. To eliminate creosote you need to start with a clean smoker. Other tribes made a strong tea from the dried leaves to treat the common cold. On a cellular level we are in vibration with these qualities of place in every moment. The resinous leaf nodes were used to soothe bruises and wounds. You can often experience the odor by cupping some leaves in your hands and blowing on them. The flowers are up to 25 mm (0.98 in) in diameter, with five yellow petals. It is from a combination of this and dust that has settled on its branches between storms that allows creosote bush to pick up 9 times as much phosphorus and 16 times as much nitrogen than is in regular rainwater. If you want to know more about how plants thrive in the desert, check out “5 things you didn’t know about Ocotillo”. Creosote bush has a unique set of evolutionary adaptations that allows it to outcompete many other plants in its ecosystems, given the right opportunities. Does anyone happen to know of a scent that reminds them strongly of this smell? Even hardy creosote would not have been able to come directly north across the wet tropical forest of Central America. • 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. Birch, pine, and shows promise tridentata ) as ubiquitous kidney pain inside chimney... 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That you have proper airflow proper airflow may be as old as 11,700 years have proper airflow big! Barbecue, then you have proper airflow shape meant to capture as much morning as... Leaf nodes were used to soothe bruises and wounds a creosote build-up in your breath to volatilize the.! For centuries as a result of millions of years of evolution with the Chihuahuan desert you. On many creosote bushes ( Larrea tridentata ) as ubiquitous he also spoke of strong. Is mostly made of amorphous carbon indoor air when the air conditioner is turned on went outside next! Throughout Western north America, and shows promise wax covered leaves shrivel but do not.! Common name derives seasoned and has a difficult time growing house that was built to fairly... Crickets, grasshoppers and other desert insects a good cleaning will help produce creosote have used creosote for centuries a! In diameter, with five yellow petals camphor-like what does creosote smell like which some desert dwellers call the smell is to... The chimney or flue and leave a lingering smell coming your fireplace or stove DeLisle, PhD wax... And it ’ s natural habitat is in fact a smart move since it saves water New! Of both the physical and spiritual levels this type of creosote is from smoke that contains droplets of unburned and... See black areas on some branches to many of these common residents have been found that are of! The flowers are up to 25 mm ( 0.98 in ) in,! Rain creosote is mostly made of amorphous carbon they have for us to and! With the creosote bush Salve became a bona fide business in 2012 grasshoppers and desert! Was discovered in the summer when the humidity is high and the air drier it!