Moon Tree

Apollo 14 launched in the late afternoon of January 31, 1971 on what was to be the U.S.A.’s third trip to the lunar surface. Five days later, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the moon while Stuart Roosa, a former U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper, orbited above in the command module. Packed in small containers in Roosa’s personal kit were hundreds of tree seeds, part of a joint NASA/USFS project. Upon return to Earth, the seeds were germinated by the Forest Service. Known as the “Moon Trees,” the resulting seedlings were planted thoughout the United States and the world. They stand as a tribute to astronaut Roosa and the Apollo program.

The Redwood tree in Mission Plaza was planted on July 30, 1976. It stands just upstream from the Broad Street Bridge over San Luis Creek.