What's the best kind of wood to burn?

What kind of wood should I burn?

Alder:  low in heat and does not burn for long,
Apple:  Great It bums slowly and steadily when dry, with little flame, but good for heat.
Ash:  The best wood for burning; has both flame and heat, and will bum when green, but burns best when dry.
Beech:  Nearly as good as ash, and only fair when green. If it has a fault, it will shoot embers a long way.
Birch:  good for heat but it burns quickly. A nice smell.
Cedar:  Good when dry. It gives little flame but lots of heat, a lovely scent.
Cherry:  Burns slowly, with good heat. Another wood with the advantage of a nice scent. 
Chestnut. OK. Will spark. Small flame and heating power.
Douglas Fir:  Poor. Little flame or heat.
Elder:   Average . Very smoky. Quick burner, with not much heat.
Elm:  Commonly sold for fuel. To bum well it needs to be dried for two years. Even then it will smoke.
Hazel:  Good.
Holly:  Good, will burn when green, but best when dried for a season.
Hornbeam:  A rival to beech.
Laburnum:  A poisonous tree, foul smoke, taints food, best never used.
Larch:  Crackles, nice scent, and fairly good for heat.
Laurel:  Gives a brilliant flame.
Lime:  Poor. Burns with dull flame.
Maple:  Good.
Oak:  New oak gives a poor flame and the smoke is foul, but dry old oak is excellent for heat, burning slowly and steadily until whole log collapses into cigar-like ash.
Pear:  Good heat and a good scent.
Pine:  Bums with a wonderful flame, but often spits. The resinous Weymouth pine has a lovely scent and a cheerful blue flame.
Plane:  Burns nicely, but will spark if very dry.
Plum:  Good heat and smell.
Poplar:  Very bad.
Rhododendron:  The thick old stems burn well. 
Robinia (Acacia):  Burns slowly, with good heat, but with foul smoke. 
Spruce:  Burns very quickly and with lots of sparks.
Sycamore:  Burns with a good flame, with medium heat. But do not use green.
Thorn:  Very good. Slow burning, with good heat and little smoke.
Walnut:  Good, and so is the scent..
Willow:  Poor. It must be dry to use, and then it burns slowly, with little flame. Will spark.
Yew:  Among the best. Burns slowly, with strong heat, and the scent is nice.


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