OUT of little acorns, giant oaks do grow. And out of giants oaks…. well, just sometimes, extraordinary works of art. The stunning carvings illustrated on these pages give a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘dead wood’.

All were carved from six-inch-long logs cut from the fallen branches of trees – mainly oak – at the Castle Howard Arboretum in the venture Branching Out.

This September, they will be on display at Wild About Wood, a weekend of wood-related events at the arboretum.

And then on September 16, a selection of the pieces will be auctioned at top London auctioneers Bonhams, with the remainder being auctioned online, to raise money for the arboretum – often known as “Kew at Castle Howard”.

The idea for the Branching Out fundraiser was the brainchild of the Liveries Wood Group, a collection of five London-based “Worshipful Companies” of master craftsmen – carpenters, furniture makers, joiners and ceilers, turners and upholders – who work with wood.

Branches from Castle Howard were chopped into 120 six-inch logs – and 120 celebrities and top wood carvers were invited to “transform dead wood into art” to keep trees alive.

Joanna Lumley tied her log up with a yellow ribbon, and added the message: “come home, my dearest love” – capturing the feelings of army families everywhere.

Channel 4 newsreader Jon Snow wrapped his log in one of his trademark brightly-coloured ties, while former BBC boss Greg Dyke, who is now Chancellor of York university, shoved his log through a model TV screen and called it “If I Hate A Programme”.

Opera Singer Dame Janet Baker had her log transformed into a kind of toast rack – and in each of the slots inserted a signed copy of one of her best-selling CDs.

It is the celebrity contributions that will doubtless gain the most attention. But, as you might expect, it is the pieces by the professional wood workers that are the most beautiful.

One stunning piece, “Eternal Seed”, by woodturner Joey Richardson, shows an unfolding cascade of leaves, with a butterfly perched on top. “The centre of this piece represents the circle of life, like the caterpillar’s cocoon,” says Joey. “From this cocoon a beautiful butterfly who has struggled to emerge flies to freedom.”

The craftsmanship of the piece is exquisite. “The butterfly is her signature,” says Penrose Halson of the Liveries Wood Group, who, with Andrew Varah of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, organised Branching Out. “It is an unbelievably delicate piece: exquisite.”

Also stunning is Binh Pho’s Caeruleus, a carved vase shape that has the delicacy and intricacy of the finest enamel.

There are some other delights, too: among them Andrew Varah’s own piece: a carved representation of two men sawing a log. There is a small key on the front. “You turn the key and hey! It does work!” says Penrose.

About 60 pieces have been completed so far, with more to come. But already, Penrose admits, she is “bowled over” by the quality and range of the contributions.

As is Sir Ron Cooke, the chairman of trustees of the Arboretum Trust. “Some of the pieces are truly amazing, absolutely unique,” he says.

Money raised from the auction and sale of the pieces will go to the arboretum, which is, Sir Ron says, a nationally important genetic reserve for temperate trees.

It will go towards three main projects: a tree nursery, a workshop, and landscaping.

And how much is likely to be raised? “I’ve no idea!” Sir Ron said. “But some of them are extremely valuable.”

And extraordinarily beautiful, too.

*The wood carvings will go on display at the Wild About Wood weekend at the Castle Howard Arboretum on September 11-12. Visit wildaboutwood.org to find out more. A selected number will be auctioned at Bonhams in London’s New Bond Street on September 16. Others will be auctioned online.