I’m going to go with white oak. The wood is very versatile; it’s strong enough for load bearing furniture, it’s hard enough for tabletops, it steam bends quite nicely, it’s just a joy to work with, looks wonderful under an oil finish, and it lends a nice flavor to whiskey.

Madrona. They’re only in a few places in the world. Their bark sheds like paper and becomes kindling, leaving a super smooth trunk. The shed bark encourages forest fires, killing competitors and making room for their offspring to thrive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_menziesii

The one that gives weed

Charlie Brown christmas tree. Are there Christmas tree bonsais?

Delonix regia, the original flamboyant.

Japanese Maple. Had one by the front door of the house I grew up in. Reminds me of my childhood home.

Eucalyptus. Houses koalas, smells nice, is sturdy, and has a chance to explode when on fire due to the oil inside.

American Chestnut. Have a few seedlings we planted in the front yard. Super excited to be part of the process of restoring them

I love monkey puzzle trees! They look like they’d be so easy to climb

I don’t like trying to climb them though

I used to live in a rickety flat that had a single old creaky staircase to get up to the front door, and a little grassy terrace area. Only I really ever used the grassy bit. The stairs had a pohutakawa tree growing essentially right through them, making walking up or down them hazardous. Especially when drunk.

I would not classify that period of my life to be “happy” by any stretch, but that tree signified being “home.” It was like the guardian to my space. A physical barrier between me and the shitshow that was the rest of the world at that time. An almost literal gatekeeper (many people were too scared to walk up the stairs lol)

Added bonus, year end holidays, and the height of summer were vividly and brightly different thanks to the red needles they drop everywhere around that time.

It wasn’t until the landlord told me he was planning to have it cut down, and I had an almost physical reaction that I realized how much I loved that tree. I managed to convince him not to have it cut down until after I’d left.

Both the tree and the flat are now gone. A multi million dollar new build is there now.

Araucaria species. Because of their shape. They are the best.

I also really really like Magnolia trees, the large grandiflora ones ( those with the large glossy leaves and white flowers). I mean the flowers are amazing, but the way their trunks develop in very large specimens is so good, those semi buttressed roots and aerial offshoots hanging down are crazy amazing.

So yeah, araucarias and magnolias.

Birch! They’re just so beautiful!