My preferred tree is Black Locust. They're hardy here in Western NY, are great nitrogen fixers and grow relatively fast and make great firewood and fence posts. The only negatives I've found is that they are harder to split than ash, and the thorns on the smaller branches are sharp and obnoxious, but nowhere near as bad as those on the Osage Orange trees I have. Although the Osage makes a great hot burning firewood, it's thorns are really nasty - it was planted originally as a hedge fence, known as being "bull tough and hog tight" - and once mature, getting rid of it is difficult. Our native Ash trees were a staple firewood for a long time, being hot burning and easy to split (straight grained), but have fallen prey to the Emerald Ash Borer. I'm cutting the diseased ones now for firewood, and have hopes for the future for some of the stumps which have sprouted new growth. Hope springs eternal.
