h i g h l i g h t s Each studied wood species presents a specific acoustic activity in terms of emissivity and energy. The acoustic activity is related to the degree of heterogeneity of the species. The more the species is heterogeneous, the more the acoustic signatures are specific. The more the species is heterogeneous, the more the signals statistical classification is effective. a b s t r a c t The use of wood in civil engineering structures, such as timber bridges, has been increasing in recent years. Unfortunately, our knowledge of their behaviour towards sustainability problems is far from complete and it is necessary to develop monitoring techniques like acoustic Emission (AE) that allow early identification of pathologies. This study focuses on the analysis of the influence of wood species on the acoustic response under bending loading. The results of this experimental study show a correlation between AE signal features and certain failure mechanisms but also that these acoustic signatures are different for each timber species.