If I wanted to harvest a sapling to make a walking stick, what species should I harvest? I'm in Ontario, Kawartha Lakes area (a little North of Toronto). I've got a pretty good knowledge of the range of species I have to choose from, but less of an understanding on the characteristics of their timber.
I've got ash species available - black, white, and red/green. You hear ash referred to historically as a material for spearshafts, which is what makes me think of it first. I hear black ash is notable for its flexibility, but I don't know if that comes at a compromise of overall strength. I have all the sugar maple in the world, which I understand is fairly hard and strong. I know black walnut is favored for tool hats and gunstocks because of its straight, even grain (and secondarily its attractive colour). Beech is another hardwood I have access too, but I know nothing of its timber properties, and I'm more hesitant to harvest it because it seems as though beech bark disease is already killing off enough of them.
This is by no means the end of the species available, but I understand I'm not after soft deciduous timber or conifers, so those are the species I have in mind.