TreeSurgery.com

I personally have a bias towards native wood - it is beautiful and sustainable.  If you go for tropical hardwoods one cannot be sure that it has been sourced from a sustainable supplier and rain forests might have been cut down!

My personal favourites for wood turning or furniture making are:

Spalted Beech

Incredible patternation - well worth keeping if you have some!

Flared Beech

This makes ordinary beech look dull - when I was milling a trunk a year ago each cut was like opening a present - the beech has a flared like grain!

Burrs

Oak or Elm

Cherry

This has a rich beautiful cherry like colour - stunning

Elm

Becoming increasingly rare due to Dutch Elm Disease but terrific wood to make furniture from.

Laburnum

Terrific wood for turning

Lime

White wood which is excellent for wood carving

Oak

Great for furniture, flooring, and building.  Very hardy outside

Sycamore

This is a pale/white wood that has an almost ivory colour.  The timber has to be cut down when it has no sap in it otherwise it will have an unpleasant colour

Walnut

Beautiful rich dark grained wood

Yew

If you are lucky enough to find a large trunk - stunning wood - the branch wood is a favourite for wood turners