I have carved two pieces similar to this except there were two tree trunks on those carvings. They were designed to stand on either side of a refrigerator/freezer and arched over the top.
In this case it's designed to stand on one edge of a built in and arch over the top where a TV will reside among the cabinetry.
This one is 8 ft tall and the branches will extend 8 ft. It's made of Butternut and to this point there are 45 + blocks and boards to glue up what you see here. There will be approximately 25 - 30 more pieces needed prior to carving.
Some of the details on this will be the Squirrel carved sitting at the base of the tree and in the branches will be a birds nest with two chicks in it and two adult birds on the branches.
The main part of the branch that extends to the right will be separate until installed. What I did was to make interlocking pieces to join the wood together for stability instead of just flat mating faces. Then , in the back side,, I routed in a channel after boring holes to house bolts. This isn't the actual bolt to be used it's just for an example.