Quote Originally Posted by Brookmaple View Post
Cedar is great for starting the fire in your arch, however you'll be stoking more often than with hardwood.
Personally, I prefer soft woods like cedar, pine, basswood, poplar, etc. Yes, you have to stoke more often, but it seems to burn cleaner and make sap disappear faster. I feel like with oak and other hardwoods I end up with a buildup of coals which prevents me from adding as much wood as I want to. Also, it's a good way to get rid of wood that I don't really want to burn in the woodstove, for the reasons you mentioned.