this is such local knowledge that we're dealing with here- as in, it would vary depending on the soil under this particular tree compared to that one. so you may consider that the dirt, or place on a hillside or low spot will sustain this species better than that.
every conversation with my sawyer lasts at least 2 hours, because every tree has a story. maybe it had a few hard winters as a sapling. maybe a tree was skidded by it as it grew. my sense is this is the kind of thing that can be known in a rigorous way only after the fact and by inference.
and then there's the human, cultural element to the valuation of trees. like Ken's remark that fir is a foreign species in his parts. my dad taught me that balsam's were junk wood and not worth cutting except to thin or to make a bed, but man they hew nice and are favorites now. but maybe that's because we've moved south into northern ontario and they tend to be bigger trees here. cherry is good here, oak is generally choss. i think this is a question to be asked of every living tree, growing in a particular spot, with a specific use in mind.
and maybe in terms of joinery you can deal with a bit of wane for this timber, so that tree will do if you go at it with a drawknife here and there... apologies if i'm going off on this, but i do love the plasticity of trees.
