MARION, Iowa - An auction of art made entirely from derecho debris is generating money to replant trees in eastern Iowa.
The $10,000 goal of the Splinters Chainsaw Art Auction was surpassed in a just few hours Tuesday, and bidding continues through the weekend.
All items in the auction were created by chainsaw artists from trees damaged in the August derecho.
Sixty percent of the auction's proceeds are donated to the group Trees Forever for the purpose of replanting trees destroyed by the storm in the area.
The effort was organized by the Iowa BIG educational program in Cedar Rapids that offers high school credit. The auction is the result of the Splinter project within the program.
Forty percent of the proceeds from the auction go back to the artists who created the items.
View all the items up for auction here.
(Image from city of Marion, Iowa)