NewsLocal News

Actions

Uniquely Utah: The ‘Moon Tree’

Posted at 10:05 PM, Aug 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-19 00:28:15-04

SALT LAKE CITY — A tree in Utah has been to the moon and back — literally.

At first glance, it's just a tree — a sycamore, to be precise. But it also has another name: The Moon Tree.

In 1971, one man aboard the Apollo 14 brought a collection of tree seeds with him, then gave them to the U.S. Forest Service when they returned.

They sent the seedlings all over the country to be planted. About 80 still grow today.

Two seedlings made it to Utah: one to the state Capitol that was eventually removed during a renovation project, and one was planted in what was then a state-owned nursery.

Fox 13's Todd Tanner takes us to see it in this installment of Uniquely Utah.