Black Walnut: Remains a favorite of the woodworking community.

White Oak: Has become increasingly popular recently.

Black Cherry: A little out of vogue right now, but still steady demand.

Hard Maple (Sugar Maple): Also, a little out of vogue right now, but steady demand for stained and painted furniture as it durable and takes finish well. Some with curly or bird’s eye grain are more valuable and in higher demand, but you likely won’t be able to identify that characteristic until the log is on the sawmill.

Ash (White or Black): Alot being harvested over the last decade because of the ash borer. Still solid demand.

Soft Maple (Silver Maple): Primarily used for less expensive furniture and paint grade cabinets for the cabinet community that wants a little higher quality than MDF.

Birch (White or Yellow): Probably fits in the same category as soft maple, but with some increased hardness.

Elm (American or Red): Not a lot of mature trees because of Dutch elm disease, but some larger logs have nice color. Some demand.

Hickory (Any): Limited demand for furniture makers, cabinet makers, and flooring.

Red Oak: Steady demand, but very common so the price is modest.

Bur and Black Oak: Both have lower demand than white or red but have unique coloring to the wood.

Less Common and Limited Demand

Honey Locust: Relatively common. Unique color, but largely ignored by many woodworkers.

Black Locust: Not common, but great for outdoor furniture as it as close to waterproof as anything that grows around this area.

Basswood: Used by carvers in low quantities and is good for live edge shelves as it is lightweight and tends to hold its bark for those who want that.

Box Elder: Lots of low-grade trees around but if you have a larger straight tree, they make nice slab furniture, still limited demand.

Sycamore: Nice flecking and stable when quartersawn, but utilization is low.

Butternut: Light in color and medium hardness. Low demand.