It doesn't matter what type of wood you burn, you will get some creosote/tar/ash build up. It's just the nature of wood burning no matter how dry your wood is. It's also just a matter of degree to which the creosote builds up. We keep the chimney brush and the threaded rods for it right by the chimney. Pop off the bottom clean up plug, make a pass up the length of the chimney and then do the important part- a pass or 3 from the cleanout as far into the stove end as possible! That's the horizontal part that scares me a bit. Then I go into the basement and pull the plug on the "tee" I installed a couple years back and clean out what dropped in there from outside. We TRY to clean the chimney every load of wood we bring in, but try never to go more than 2 weeks without cleaning. I don't usually get much stuff, but every now and again I'll hit a gob of creosote that's starting to build up. I've had a couple chimney fires and I strongly endorse that insulated chimney pipe. I've only had to replace 1 "tee" and one straight section just above that in 25 years. Good stuff!
I'm fond of saying I have 342 acres of dead Elm, and I'm not really stretching things much when I do. Elm doesn't split for crap. I've done the sledge and wedge, had mauls literally bounce off and come back hard enough to nearly smack me in the head, etc. I understand it was one of the preferred woods for water wheel hubs as long as it was kept wet. Not the worlds greatest fire wood, but not the worst either. I also kinda like another "trash" wood- popple, or poplar or Eastern Cottonwood, which I think is the correct name. Splits real easy, grows to good size here and makes a good daytime fire when you're around to feed it. Big chunks are the way to go, burns different than when it's split up small. We cut wood all fall, all winter, all spring until the weather warms. No matter how much we have, it's never enough.
It's allegedly 4 above F here, which is a record if correct. Spent yesterday AM getting the family snowblower running for the first time in 3 years. Found out I didn't miss having frozen, numb fingers at all. Did get it more or less running enough to clear the walk ways. Can't plow as there's no frost in the ground yet at all. This stuff should all be melted away by Sunday/Monday whe we get back into the 40's. Fine by me!