Posted on 19 March, 2014

 Ash     Good      Low moisture content when green - little seasoning needed
Beech     Good     Season for a year; excellent deadwood species
Hornbeam     Good     Season for a year; more common in southern Britain
Hawthorn     Good     Season for a year; thorns make handling more difficult
Crab apple     Good     Gives off pleasant smell - useful for cooking
Oak     Good     Season for a year; excellent for keeping fire lit overnight
Field maple     Good     Season for a year; grows better on more fertile soils
Elm     Good     Season for a year but often found dead and ready to burn
Hazel     Good     Good coppice species; important for wildlife conservation
Birch     Fast     Burn with slow burners such as wild cherry
Wild cherry     Slow     Burn with fast burners such as birch; pleasant smell
Blackthorn     Slow     Season for a year; burn with fast burners such as birch
Rowan     Slow     Burn with fast burners such as birch; attractive berries 
Holly     Slow     Burn with fast burners such as birch and alder
Yew     Slow     Very dense timber and slow growing
Alder     Fast     Burn with slow burners such as wild cherry
Poplars     Fast     High moisture content - season for a year
 Willows     Fast     High moisture content - season for a year
Lime     Slow     Good coppice species; burn with fast burners such as birch
Rhododendron     Good     Very invasive non-native species on acidic soils - eradicate
Sycamore     Fast     Invasive in ancient woodlands - eradicate
Sweet chestnut     Fast     Not invasive but gradually remove and replace with hazel
Conifers     Fast     Season for a year - pine, spruce, cypress burn quickly;       Douglas fir, larch burn slower