Tallahassee’s Three “Moon Trees”
Moon Tree emblem
Source: NASA
The Apollo 14 Space Mission of 1971 resulted in the state of Florida receiving seven “Moon Trees.” Two different types of saplings were sent to Tallahassee. Three saplings went to the University of Florida in Gainsville, one sapling went to the Kennedy Space Center, and, one sapling went to Perry. The majority of the Moon Trees distributed across the nation were planted for the Bicentennial celebration of the USA.
The first of Tallahassee’s trees is located in the field in the back of the Doyle Conner Florida Forest Service Building, part of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services complex. It is loblolly pine and was planted in 1976 for the Bicentennial. (30° 26.3' N, 84° 13.5' W)
The second tree is located in Cascades Park. The Moon Tree survived Cascades Parks’ superfund site (polluted) period. After the cleanup, a plaque was placed. It is currently unknown when the tree was planted, but it was probably for the Bicentennial as well. It is a Sycamore tree. (33° 26.034' N, 84° 16.816' W)
A Moon tree sapling from Artemis I’s 2022 mission was given to Cornerstone Learning Community for planting. It was a sweet-gum tree and was officially planted in 2024 on the grounds of the school.
The crew of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission. From left to right: Command Module pilot, Stuart A. Roosa, Commander, Alan B. Shepard Jr., and Lunar Module pilot Edgar D. Mitchell. The Apollo 14 mission emblem is in the background. From 1970.
Source: NASA via Wikipedia
History
The Moon Tree initiative was proposed by United States Forest Service Chief, Edward P. Cliff. He convinced Stuart Roosa, the Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 14 Mission to bring a seed container as one of his “personal items”. Five distinct tree species were chosen - sycamore, loblolly pine, redwood, sweetgum, and Douglas fir - to orbit the moon with the astronauts before returning to Earth. This could be considered an early astrobotany experiment.
NASA and The U.S. Forest Service wanted to see if a space flight, space radiation, and microgravity would change growth patterns for these trees. The seeds orbited the moon thirty-four times in 1971. After a forty-year research growth trial, no noticeable difference was noted. The saplings were then sent to parks and universities.
The first moon tree sapling was planted at Philadelphia’s Washington Square Park in 1975. It was a sycamore seedling. Trees were also given to regionally appropriate states, the White House, Brazil, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Japan’s Emperor Hirohito.
Moon Trees were forgotten until a third-grade teacher and her classroom wrote to NASA after seeing a Moon Tree plaque at Camp Koch Girl Scout Camp in Cannelton, Indiana. NASA employee, David Williams, found the original report of Stuart Roosa’s agreement with Edward Cliff. Williams started a NASA page for tracking. The whereabouts of hundreds of the trees are still unknown.
Florida Moon Trees
Perry, Florida - A Loblolly Pine is planted in the Forest Capital Museum State Park. It was planted in 1978.
Gainesville, Florida - A Sycamore is planted at the University of Florida. It was planted in 1976-77. Two Pine trees were also planted but did not survive an encounter with a weed-wacker. The Sycamore is doing fine at the corner of Museum Road and McCarty Drive.
Cape Canaveral (Merrit Island), Florida - A Sycamore was planted at the Kennedy Space Center in 1976. Sadly this tree was toppled by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Second-generation plantings germinated from the Moon Tree Foundation were planted in 2019.
Keystone Heights, Florida - A Sycamore at the Keystone Heights Public Library was planted from a seed from UF in 1984.
Titusville, Florida - Apollo Elementary School has a Half-Space Sycamore Tree on its grounds. It has outgrown its marker.
A "Moon Tree" located in Keystone Heights, Florida.
Source: Whoisjohngalt via Wikipedia
Interesting Links
Half-Space Trees (seeded from original Space Trees) can be purchased online.
If you discover an unknown space tree or a plaque, please email NASA’s David Williams
The Moon Tree Foundation, headed by Roosa’s daughter, teaches youth advocacy and environmental health. Second-generation/Half-Space Moon Trees are available here.
A second mission flying seeds to the moon was planned with Artemis I’s launch in 2022. Seeds will be distributed to schools, governmental agencies, and parks.
Citations:
Arndorfer, Bob. “Tracing the History of UF’s Moon Tree.” The Gainesville Sun. 2005.
Davidson-Hiers, CD. “Bark side of the moon: Seeds of the Apollo 14 mission rooted in Tallahassee.” Tallahassee Democrat. 2019.
Grossman, Lisa. “The Mystery of the Missing Moon Trees.” Wired. 2011.
Kelly, John. “In 1971, tree seeds orbited the moon. Now they grow on earth.” The Washington Post. 2023.
Lehman, Eben. “Houston, We Have Moon Trees.” Forest History Society. 2011
Massey, Robert. “Can You Help Us Find the Moon Trees?” Royal Astronomical Society. 2021
Sargent, Maya, and Channing Frampton. “Northwest Tallahassee School plants “Moon Tree” on campus; How it got its name.” WTXL. 2024.
Various. “Moon Trees 40th Birthday.” Modern Vespa Forum.
Vaughn, Don. “Return of the Moon Trees.” Saturday Evening Post. 2023.
Williams, David. “Cascades Park Moon Tree.” NASA.
Williams, David. “Doyle Conner Building Moon Tree.” NASA.
Williams, David. “Keystone Heights Library Moon Tree.” NASA
Williams, David. “The Moon Trees.” NASA