Ash wood for mounting
 

We have an ash(?) tree that has a branch that needs to be taken off. I am planning on using it to mount my Phal, Catts, and (possibly) Vandas.

Just wondering if ash is okay to be used for mounts. Or is there some chemical in there I need to worry about?

Oh and here is a pic of the leaves just in case my tree identification is incorrect.
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1570/img9752cq6.jpg

Branch that may become future mount.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/6192/img9750gr5.jpg

Is there anybody who can help with this?
I don't want to go ahead with mounting only to find the plants to be poisoned by some chemical in the wood.

Ash should work well. Stay away from walnut and its relatives. They produce chemicals through the roots to reduce plant growth in the area. I have phals mounted on gum doing well.

Okay. Thanks man.

looking at the branch you will need to worry about borers and other critters. Some of the OB member bake their wild wood in the oven for awhile. Others soak in stuff but I question whether that will work.
I have very little experience with the water tolerance of ash. That becomes a problem down the line.
Nick

So a big issue is whether or not the log will rot and fall apart?

Almost all natural materials used for mounts will disintegrate in time, the idea is to pick one that lasts longest. I suspect it is a big mess when you have to remount a large plant.
Nick

Ash is a very hardwood so rotting to fast I suspect will not be an issue

that looks a lot like the popash tree found in the fakahatchee strand, where it spends a lot of time wet and hosting a lot of orchids. The ghost orchid in particular love it. I wish I had one in my yard, it would be INFESTED with orchids.

Nice textured bark...the ash trees around here all have very smooth bark...which dries out too quickly in our dry climate.

My vote would be to leave the branch on the tree if at all possible and mount orchids on it like Swamper mentioned. Well, depends on where you live. If you live in zone 8 or above, I would try to mount a test orchid on it to see how it responds to the wood. You should do that even if decide to take the branch off.