Living in Finland, the winters can be cold and we have a large wood burning oven in our kitchen which heats the whole house in the winter. One of the most efficient woods for burning is Birch and it keeps the oven warm for several days afterwards. I have a whole shed full of nice dry Birch just ready to be saved from the fire! It is a soft wood that turns nicely and is very light in colour when finished. If you get lucky there may be some interesting patterns to be found!