Woods for Char-broil smoker/BBQ?

I was given a small Char-broil barbecue with an offset smoker as a gift
and know very little about using it. I hope to learn on this and then
"graduate" to a larger unit.

Meanwhile, I live in the northern Interior of BC where there is no
ready-at-hand supply of what seem from my first reading to be the most
desirable hardwoods to use - apple, hickory etc. This region has mainly
softwoods like pine and spruce, a bit of cedar. There are black
cottonwoods and paper birch and some alder although I haven't seen much
for sale. Anyway, I am not so sure that these are good ones to use and
that's what this post is about. Very few people up here appear to be in
to smoker BBQs (although a lot use units like "Little Chief' for fish
smoking) - not at least the long slow cooking used for pork shoulder,
ribs etc.

Ideas? Suggestions?

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