smoking with yard waste

[BuckRimfire]

A few days ago, I pruned some 1" to 2" diameter branches off my cherry tree.  Can I use fresh wood like that for smoking?  Does the bark need to be peeled off first?

 

[mike1910]

I wouldn’t. The wood should be seasoned or you are likely to get undesirable flavor

 

[barelfly]

Let it dry out for some time like Mike suggests. How long, that’s a good question. But if you were to try now it would be like burning green wood.

An interweb search may give you some suggestions as to how long to let it season.