Within native Minecraft, six different breeds of trees can be used to either decorate or craft. These trees have color and texture variations and biome-specific spawns but are relatively considered to be interchangeable in day-to-day usage. That being said, there is more than one way to skin an ocelot. Some trees take more space, some can be difficult to find, and some don’t look that great in a build. In worst to best order, here are the six different wood types, ranked.
Oak
Oak is the most common type of tree, and when refined, holds a color that many find instantly recognizable as the ‘Minecraft wood.’ The tree is typically short and is found in most Overworld biomes. They tend to grow five blocks high and has a 5% chance of spawning with a bee nest if grown within 2 blocks of a flower.
Spruce
The spruce tree is occasionally called the pine tree, found mainly in snowy regions with dense foliage and various growth height. They can grow between 5—12 blocks high, with clear levels of foliage. A mega spruce, also known as a redwood, can be produced by arranging spruce saplings in a 2×2 square. Both the tree and refined wood are a bit darker than oak.
Acacia
The acacia tree is unique to the savannah biome, with unique features that could make it a difficult selection for tree farms. The trunk grows diagonally and can have multiple canopies, making it challenging to harvest. That being said, refined acacia holds a unique color of orangish-bronze that can make a fantastic feature in building.
Dark Oak
Dark oak trees can be rare, naturally spawning only in the dark forest biome. The biome is aptly named: the tree canopy can become so dense that the ground level can often become dark enough for hostile mobs to spawn in, even at noon. Dark oak naturally spawns with thicker trunks, occupying a 2×2 space. Players that want to grow dark spruce need to place a total of four saplings in a 2×2 grid; be cautious about light levels beneath the new tree.
Birch
The birch tree is the only tree in vanilla Minecraft with a unique log texture, giving it a special place for decorating and building. The refined wood is found in birch forest biomes, turns into the lightest-colored plank texture. In execution, the birch is a standard tree that operates almost interchangeably with an oak, including beehive spawning percentages and growth height.
Jungle tree
Minecraft’s jungle tree is undoubtedly the best tree there is, primarily due to the resources offered compared to the other five tree breeds. It can spawn in 2×2 or 1×1, with vines spread across the logs for larger variants, and can generate absurdly tall trees for wood in a tight area, making it perfect for a tree farm. Natural generation of the jungle trees also brings an opportunity to harvest cocoa beans, but note that they will not generate on player-planted trees.
