I don't have much of an opinion on what type of tree to plant but, I do have experience of planting trees in clay. DO NOT make the mistake of digging the proper size hole and augmenting the soil with the proper nutrients and soil or you will have created a vase for your tree to drown in. You really have to make an area thet will not drown the sapling by either: A) make a raised bed of about a foot with garden ties or whatever and then go at it normally or B) break up the soil around the new site 3 or 4 times the recommended size and add lots of draining gravel & debris.
Both systems will work but' the raised bed is better

You aren't likely to produce anything with gravel except maybe concrete.

Unless you install drainage lines and use gravel in those.

That's for getting rid of puddling.

And the water so collected has to have somewhere to go.

What's left growing around the place now? Is it wetland trees and shrubs like black hawthorn, Oregon crabapple, willows and poplars (incl. quaking aspen, often a bog plant when growing naturally in my area)? Or do you mostly have pines etc., indicating adequate drainage, at least on soils not having been bulldozed and so on?