Hi Russ.

Actually, any wood is good for burning as long as it is properly seasoned. I'll heat better and cleaner with a ton of dried pine than I will two tons of fresh cut oak or cherry.

No species of wood is bad for your stove or the environment. A pound of wood has the same carbon content and BTU value no matter what kind it is. With that, consider these…

Softwoods such as pine are much lighter per cubic foot than hardwoods so the potential energy in the stove is more with hardwoods. That's because a cubic foot of hardwood may weigh 50% more than a cubic foot of soft wood. Just remember that BTU potential is based on weight and not volume. That is assuming the wood is properly dried to a moisture content under 20%.

Wet wood is heavier but water weight actually steals your heat valiue because the energy is used up to dry the moisture. If you ever try and heat with fresh cut wood you will hear the sizzle and notice the stove isn't putting out a lot of heat.

Many folks believe you should NEVER burn pine in your stove because it will gum up the chimney and causes more pollution. Actually, as long as it is seasoned properly to under 20% moisture content, it will heat beautifully. You just won't get the long burn times because there is not as much fuel per load as hardwoods. Environmentally, ALL WOOD has the same pollution per pound.

Never burn chemically treated wood or painted wood. Kiln-dried, untreated wood is ok. It makes great kindling.

There you go. Burn whatever you want as long as it is dry and has no chemicals.