Here’s a variety of wood types I’ve used and what I’d recommend (or not recommend) about them:
- Alder: Poor in heat and does not last very long
- Apple: Splendid it burns slowly and steadily when dry, with little flame but good heat. The sent is pleasing
- Ash: Best burning wood. Has both flame and heat, it will burn when green though not best as well as when it is dry
- Beech: Fair when green. If it has a fault, it is apt to shoot embers a long way
- Birch: The heat is good, but it burns quickly. The smell is pleasant
- Cedar: Good when dry. Full of snap and crackle. it gives a little flame but not much heat. The scent is beautiful
- Cherry: Burns slowly with good heat. Another wood with the advantage of scent
- Chestnut: Mediocre. Apt to shoot embers. Small flame and heating power
- Doulas Fir: Poor. Little flame or heat
- Elder: Very smoky and quick burner with not much heat
- Elm: Commonly offered for sale. To burn well it needs to be kept for two years. Even then it will smoke. Vary variable fuel
- Hazle: Good
- Holly: Good, will bun when green, but best when kept a season
- Hornbeam: Almost as good as beech
- Laburnum: Totally poisonous tree. Never burn this wood
- Larch: Crackly, Scented and fairly good for heat
- Laurel: Has brilliant flame
- Lime: Poor, burns with dull flame
- Maple: Good
- Oak: Sparce in flame and the smoke is acrid, but dry old oak is excellent for heat, burning slowly and steadily until the whole log collapses into cigar-like ash
- Pear: A good heat and a good scent
- Pine: Burns with a splendid flame but apt to spit. The resinous Weymouth pine has a lovely scent and a cheerful blue flame
- Plane: Burns pleasantly but is apt to throw sparks if very dry
- Plum: Good heat and aromatic
- Poplar: Truly awful
- Rhododendron: The thick old stems being very tough to burn well
- Robinia (Acacia): Burns slowly with good heat but with acrid smoke
- Spruce: Burns to quickly and with too many sparks
- Sycamore: Burns with a good flame with moderate heat. Useless green
- Thorn: One of the best woods. Burns slowly with great heat and little smoke
- Walnut: Good and also has a nice scent aromatic wood.
- Willow: Poor it must be dry to use and then it burns slowly with little flame apt to spark
- Yew: Among the best. Burns slowly with fierce heat and the scent is pleasant
– William Evans