Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Get to know Utah's Moon Tree, before it's gone
Urban LIving
Posted By Babs De Lay on February 1, 2023, 4:00 AM
Did you know Utah has a NASA Moon Tree? Pardon me, but as a tree hugger by nature, I'm surprised I'd never heard of this beauty in our state.
"This tree has gone places only some of the boldest and most extraordinary among us have gone," said a 2019 KSL news report. Sci-fi fans love the thought of humans growing plants in space, so this bit of local news might help you win any local pub's trivia night!
First, the tree is located in an exterior corner of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands' Lone Peak office at 271 Bitterbrush Lane in Draper. Second, it's a 52-year-old sycamore tree that was planted here in 1976. Third, the tree brings a lot of history. And fourth, it may be dead or almost dead due to fungal infection.
In 1971, Apollo 14 blasted off, and one of its astronauts, Stuart Roosa, brought a stash of tree seeds with him. Each astronaut was allowed to bring a personal kit with them, and this former Forest Service smokejumper was just the guy to give the seeds a ride.
In his canister, there were some 500 seeds—not just sycamore seeds, but hundreds of redwood, pine, fir and sweet gum seeds. As command module pilot, Roosa flew the orbiting spacecraft while his crewmates explored the lunar surface. And after orbiting the moon, he brought the seeds back to earth safely to see if they would germinate.
The great news was that most of the seeds sprouted, and NASA then divvied them up and sent them to various forestry departments around the country to see which would take root and if there were any anti-gravity effects. Would there be freak trees? I couldn't find any reports of odd growth.
Folks around the country nicknamed them "moon trees," and local interest was high as to these special plants. Utah reportedly received two sycamore seedlings, one of which was planted at the Draper location, and two Douglas fir seedlings, one of which was planted at the Utah State Capitol. No one knows what became of the other two seedlings.
Sadly, the Douglas fir at the Capitol was split in half by the wind of the August 1999 freak tornado. Utah's last known moon tree remains located by the old prison site in Draper. For many years, the nursery there (now defunct) gave out cuttings and clones to customers who knew the tree's history.
This past November, NASA launched the Artemis rocket as part of a plan to get humans back to the lunar surface. NASA has decided to reactivate the moon seed program for the future.
It's a bummer that NASA forgot about the program for many years and lost track of where the trees had been planted around the country.
A NASA employee was contacted by a teacher who found a plaque near a moon tree, who had asked where others were planted. The employee had not heard of the program but ended up posting on social media asking for the public's help finding the trees and hopefully plaques around the country.
The Moon Tree Foundation is now run by Roosa's daughter, who seeks to plant moon trees around the world.
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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