Masona is rught about different woods burning differently, but I've found it is due more to moisture content than species.
The recommended time for wood storage of log size bits is THREE to FOUR years. I know it seems a lot, but it makes a huge difference to the heat you get in the room. If you have moisture in the wood you spend some of the heat pumping the moisture out of the wood, then turning it into steam.
For lighting the stove, I've recently changed the lighting method, and it's minimum smoke, doesn't matter how much wood you put on, and it's reliable.
How did we gettaught to light fires? Paper, small sticks, larger sticks, logs or big sticks. What happens? Light paper, sets light to small sticks, heats larger bits, lots of smoke until the temperature rises enough to set light to the smoke. Then if you have the fire in an enclosed stove, you get a soft explosion which expels smoke into the room.
I now light the fire upside down. Put in the logs then some smaller bits, then some still smaller bits, then a couple sheets of free newspaper, then some very small sticks. Light paper, it sets light to the very small sticks, which in turn sets light to the larger bits etc. This means you get flames right from the start, and it makes the whole process much better.
When running a wood burning stove, you MUST have flames until you have only charcoal left on the bed. If you don't have flames you will be depositing tar up the chimney. VERY dangerous! Wood burning stoves must be operated at high temperature and not allowed to idle with a large log smouldering all night. If you want to do this, build up the charcoal during the evening, then let the charcoal burn all night. Charcoal is near smokeless, and will burn at a very slow rate.
Wood stoves shouldn't smell in the room, if it does it should be looked at. Smells = gas leaks = possible carbon monoxide.
Morso stoves are high quality, well built stoves, and should not smell after it is run in. There could be something wrong with the chimney if it does.
Some stoves (and we've had one) are not well enough built. It should be possible to totally seal the stove so that any air admitted is by the inlet controls only.
