As with the recent post on doing free shows. go back to Geoff Felix's Conversations With Punch. Wood types are discussed there.
Interestingly Fred Tickner seemed unconcerned about what wood he used. Anything which came to hand and as far as possible free! offcuts and the like.
I'm told that amongst pines Grade 1 Canadian Yellow Pine is the finest but almost unobtainable outside Canada. They use all the best stuff themselves and export only inferior grades.