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Floyd Bettiga Gallery

Moon Trees

By Erica Botkin

Moon Trees

Published on 10/1/2014.

During the summer of 2011, I helped a friend move from Texas to New York. We stopped in Philadelphia and as I was headed out to sightsee, I was told to check out the Moon Tree (conveniently located along the way to the Liberty Bell). Having never heard of a Moon Tree, I was immediately intrigued and discovered that they are trees grown from seeds that were taken to the moon on Apollo 14 in 1971. The seeds were never taken to the lunar surface; they orbited the moon with their astronaut Stuart Roosa while he conducted tests. When the Apollo 14 returned to earth, the seeds were collected and germinated. At this time it was not known if being in space would adversely affect plant growth. These specimens were dispersed during the American Bicentennial to be planted across the United States. It was soon realized that the trees were normal and excitement dissipated. Knowledge and maintenance of the existing moon trees quickly faded. Since this was not an official experiment, no list of the dispersed Moon Trees was created. Dr. Dave Williams, a scientist at NASA, has compiled a rough list (primarily by word of mouth) and posted online. Working with scientists at NASA, foresters at the Institute of Forest Genetics and other individuals who are invested with the trees, I am using the list to make a pilgrimage across the globe to visit the approximately 50 known living trees. Currently, my photographs largely resemble a traditional documentary project, however it is in its early stages. Over the next year I plan to visit the remaining trees (approximately six trees, which are located in Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and Tennessee). I then hope to propel aspects of this project into the scientific (both forestry and aeronautic) venues and publish a book celebrating these living monuments.

 

- Erica Botkin

 

 

Original Plaque and Replacement Sycamore at the First Public Ceremony, Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA

This is the site where the first Moon Tree was publically planted. It is fitting that I learned about Moon Trees by visiting this location in 2011. During my first visit, the original tree still remained, however it had died several years earlier and was merely a scraggly trunk with a few pathetic branches. In my returning visits to Philadelphia, I saw the dead tree get cut down to a stump, then dirt and grass were added to replace the divot where the tree once stood. Luckily, a new, second generation tree was planted several feet from the original location.

 

Moon Tree Files inside the Vault at the Institute of Forest Genetics, Placerville, CA

Since this was not an “official” experiment issued by NASA, no formal documentation was created or kept. The Institute of Forest Genetics in Placerville has documents that pertain to the tree species that they supplied seeds for, the Douglas Firs and Coast Redwoods. It was remarkable for me to read these documents and see the excitement some had for these trees in 1971-1976, especially knowing how quickly they would be forgotten in the following decade.

 

Greenhouse where Redwood and Douglas Fir Seeds were Started, Institute of Forest Genetics, Placerville, CA

This is the actual site where the returning Douglas Fir and Coast Redwood seeds were germinated. It is a beautiful greenhouse facility and though a door is pictured here, it is the third and final portion of the greenhouse. I toured the rest of the facilities, which helped me to understand how important the US Forest Service still is and all they have done.

 

Roger Stutts, Germinated Redwood and Douglas Fir Moon Tree Seeds in 1971, Institute of Forest Genetics, Placerville, CA

Roger began working at the IFG after graduating high school. Shortly after beginning his new job, he unknowingly germinated the returning seeds. Though this was not an official experiment, the US Forest Service was keeping this project under wraps because it was not known if zero gravity would affect plant growth.

 

Map of Pine Trees that have been studied by the Institute of Forest Genetics, Placerville, CA

This map does NOT reflect the location of the Moon Trees, however it is a map demonstrating the locations of the pine trees the IFG has studied. The IFG is a pine tree research facility, originally founded in 1925 by James G. Eddy who was in the timber industry.

 

Redwood in the Capitol Park, Sacramento, CA

This tree was going to be removed because it was thought that the roots would interfere with the addition of the security annex. In one of the final meetings, an employee recalled that it was a Moon Tree. Officials contacted the former landscape architect who verified its heritage. The tree was saved and properly labeled so confusion would not happen again.

 

Dr. Dave Williams, NASA Scientist in charge of the Moon Tree Project, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

After learning about my first Moon Tree in Philadelphia, I immediately turned to the Internet to learn more. Dr. Dave Williams’ page through the NASA website was one of the first results. It gave a more thorough background to the tremendous story and provided a list of the known trees and their locations. I immediately contacted him about my interest in photographing the trees as living monuments. I was able to arrange a visit with him a year and a half later. We met the day after Curiosity had landed on Mars and the Summer Olympics were in full swing. At this time, I had visited the trees in California, Oregon and Pennsylvania, about twelve trees in total.

 

Dr. Dave William’s Office, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

I was very excited to visit a NASA facility. Growing up in northern California, I saw commercials about summer Space Camp, but was too far away to visit such a location. I was fascinated to learn more about Dr. Williams’ position at NASA, the Solar System Exploration Division Services Officer, and why he had been put in charge of the Moon Tree project. One of my fondest memories of this visit was after he signed me in at the gate. We drove through the large campus at Goddard and we saw a man walking on a sidewalk, presumably from one building to another. Dr. Williams’ joking mentioned that if we were to hit that man, we would set Mars research back ten years because he was the leading scientist in Martian studies!

 

Plaque at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

This is perhaps the most photographed tree today since it is at the NASA facility where Dr. Williams works. Anytime a news source covers this story, they meet here, much like I did, to see the tree and talk to Dr. Williams.

 

Sycamore at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

Prior to the rediscovery of the Moon Trees in the mid 1990s, this tree was unmarked and did not have a small protective fence around it. As pictured here, it is an ordinary tree and there is nothing visibly strange or remarkable about it. As Roger Stutts said, “These trees are normal, just like the astronauts’ children were normal.” Much of what captivates me about this story is the invisible significance these trees represent.

 

Gravesite of Stuart Roosa, Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, VA

After visiting NASA scientist, Dr. Dave Williams, at the Goddard Center for Space Flight in Goddard, Maryland, he informed me that Arlington National cemetery was nearby. I knew the astronaut was buried here, but through all the excitement of my journey, failed to realize its proximity. In the summer of 2012, I had graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and was helping classmates move to New York City who were perusing careers in a larger city. After moving and unloading their belongings, I borrowed their car and drove through Pennsylvania, photographing six trees, to Maryland where I had an appointment to meet Dr. Willams at NASA.

 

Society of American Foresters, Bethesda, MD

This location was tucked away and took me a couple of passes to turn down the proper driveway. The grounds were scenic and the office was a large house rather than a block-like commercial building. The interior was stunning and covered in pine paneling; it made me think of a time in our society when preserving the forest was the utmost importance. Visitors can take a self-guided tour with a small printed map. The map has an asterisk next to tree 12, which gives a brief summary of its significance.

 

Loblolly Pine at the Doyle Conner Building (US Dept. of Agriculture), Tallahassee, FL

I arrived in Tallahassee after a marathon day of driving through Alabama; I began at Helen Keller’s birth house and had three more stops across the length of the state. It was dark when I crossed the Florida state line and I could not get my free cup of orange juice – I was a little disappointed to say the least. I had an appointment in the morning to meet with Mary from the Florida Forest Service office. The tree is near the building, next to a pond and picnic tables where employees take breaks.

 

Sycamores at Cascades Park, Tallahassee, FL

This group of trees is located in a small park near the capital building. The trees are unmarked and my contact, Mary of the Florida Forest Service, drove me to their location. I was surprised to find three trees because the website only mentioned one. There was a lot of construction behind the trees, but it seemed that the trees were safe from accidental removal.

 

Sign for the Palustris Experimental Forest, Elmer, LA

Many of the programs under the US Forest Service location suffer from budget cuts. As the sign suggests, this site focuses on researching environmental effects on trees, primarily pine trees. Oddly enough, a government ballistics testing facility is also down the road, but they were not blasting or bombing during my visit. Palustris used to host scientists, much like the Institute of Forest Genetics, who carried out various experiments. After loosing some funding, it turned into an activity center for retired individuals. Sadly today, it primarily houses large equipment (tractors, mowers, etc.) used at other nearby US Forest Service sites. My contact, Jacob, said that a plaque was being engraved to properly mark the tree.

 

Leaf from the Sycamore at Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS

I was lucky to find myself at a regional photography conference at Mississippi State University, which houses a relatively significant sycamore. Though the top portion has been damaged, being snapped in a storm, it is the tree that supplied seeds for the Second Generation Moon Trees (trees grown from seeds from an original Moon Tree) in the early 2000s.  Mississippi is also important because the Southern Institute of Forest Genetics (SIFG) is located in Gulf Port. The SIFG is where the Loblolly Pine, Sweet Gum, and Sycamore tree seeds were supplied and returned after their ride on Apollo 14. Mississippi values their trees and forestry programs, dedicating every 51st acre in every county to a plot of pine trees.

 

Loblolly Pine at the Sebastian County Courthouse, Fort Smith, AR

None of the Moon Trees are “on the way” to places in my daily life. I had a photography conference in Chicago, so I planned a detour through western Arkansas from Austin, Texas. A colleague joined me for this adventure and the GPS took us to the wrong location in a neighboring town. Once we reached the correct location, I admired the shape of this tree, appearing circular and moon-like; I couldn’t help but wonder if this was intentional. Additionally, the Sebastian county courthouse has great restrooms.

 

Sycamore at Lincoln State Park, Lincoln City, IN

Driving to this tree allowed me to pass through one of the strangest holiday-based resort towns I have ever seen called Santa Claus, Indiana. The town was deserted except for the many log cabin lodgings with Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and elves making multiple appearances. There was also a large water park that was Christmas themed near the end of the highway that stretched through this town. Once I reached the State park in Lincoln City, I was able to ask the ranger more about the area and was assured that it would be packed with tourists by the end of April. The ranger gave me a map and I had a short drive through the park to the tree’s location at the base of a levee. There was a small fence and three different plaques commemorating it.

 

Sweet Gums at the Forest Service Office, Tell City, IN

By the time I reached these trees, the sun was about to set and I still had one more tree to visit. I quickly identified the trees based on prior email exchanges with Lisa at the Forest Service Office. Photographing the trees attracted the attention of the neighbors across the street – perhaps it was more because their dogs kept barking at me. The men ended up being a huge help because I needed to contact Joan in the next town and did not have her phone number. They got her number for me and sent me on my way.

 

Fire Circle made from Storm Damaged Moon Tree, Camp Koch Girl Scout Camp, Cannelton, IN

This is the tree responsible for the rediscovery of the Moon Tree project. Elementary school teacher, Joan Goble, assigned a tree-based report to her students. One of her students selected this tree, which caused Joan to email NASA for more information about the tree. NASA didn’t have much information and assigned Dr. Williams to research this project. Joan and I visited the tree and she expressed her concern for its survival – the top portion had recently snapped off in a storm and she was unsure of how much damage had been done. After photographing the tree, she treated me to dinner where we continued to discuss her story about contacting Dr. Williams. After dinner, I had to get to Tennessee for the next day’s stops. I drove on a very dark and wet highway through Kentucky and arrived in Knoxville, Tennessee around midnight.

 

Sycamore at Highland Hall, Hollidaysburg, PA

I wonder about the safety of this tree. It is one of the tallest, intact sycamore Moon Trees I have seen so far, however the building it stands next to is the former city hall and it was for sale during my visit. As with any Moon Tree, it would be a shame if it were accidentally removed.

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