Here are some products that homeowner's commonly request to burn in their stove:
Coal: NOT OK
Coal is not a natural wood product and cannot be burned in a modern wood stove.
Dimensional Lumber: OK
2x4's, 4x4's etc. are made from natural wood and can be burned so long as they are not painted, treated, or unseasoned (wet).
Energy Logs or Bricks: OK
Energy logs are typically made from compressed natural wood (sawdust) and can be burned so long as they are not bound together with wax or some other unnatural binding agent. Remember to not load more than 200,000 BTU;s of energy into your stove. Consider the North Idaho Energy Log: each log contains 68,000 BTU's of energy so you can load one or two logs into your stove at a time without overfiring it.
Pellets: NOT OK
Wood pellets that are designed for use in a pellet stove are made from natural wood but they will not burn correctly in your stove. Pellet stoves use a fan-forced combustion which allows the fuel to burn clean and efficient. Some grates or cages have been developed to assist in the burning of pellets in a wood stove but this would be modifying the design of the stove and is not allowed.
What else should I avoid?
Your stove is designed to burn natural wood only. Higher efficiencies and lower emissions generally result when burning air dried seasoned hardwoods, as compared to softwoods or to green or freshly cut hardwoods.
DO NOT BURN:
a. Garbage;
b. Lawn clippings or yard waste;
c. Materials containing rubber, including tires;
d. Materials containing plastic;
e. Waste petroleum products, paints or paint thinners, or asphalt products;
f. Materials containing asbestos;
g. Construction or demolition debris;
h. Railroad ties or pressure-treated wood;
i. Manure or animal remains;
j. Salt water driftwood or other previously salt water saturated materials;
k. Unseasoned wood; or
l. Paper products, cardboard, plywood, or particleboard.
Burning these materials may result in release of toxic fumes or render the heater ineffective and cause smoke. The prohibition against burning these materials does not prohibit the use of fire starters made from paper, cardboard, saw dust, wax and similar substances.
Do not load more than 200,000 BTU's of energy into your stove.
Assuming that what you would like to burn does not include any of the prohibited materials above, you need to make sure that the energy value of the product will be equal to or less than a reasonable load of cord wood. 23 lbs. of Douglas Fir cordwood would equal about 200,000 BTU's of energy. This represents a reasonable load of cord wood for most stoves.
If you need some type of apparatus to burn the fuel then it would be prohibited.
Finally, you cannot modify the design of the stove to facilitate the burning of the product. For example you are not allowed to use a grate or elevate the fire in a modern wood stove.