Friendly Plaza Moon Tree
Monterey, California
The coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) Moon Tree in Monterey, California was presented to the
city on 27 July 1976 and planted in Friendly Plaza near Colton Hall. The tree was dedicated to
the "people of Monterey to commemorate the Bicentennial of the United States of America, and for
the enjoyment of all future generations."
The roughly 2-foot-high seedling was sent out from the Institute of Forest Genetics in Placerville,
California, on 2 April 1976. The seeds for the coast redwoods were collected by the U.S. Forest Service
near Soquel, California in 1966.
Monterey Peninsula Herald, 25 and 27 July 1976
Tree located at 36 deg 35.873 min N, 121 deg 53.816 min W
Tree photo courtesy of Julie D'Angelo
Plaque photo courtesy of Ed Hall
Clippings credit Monterey Peninsula Herald and Gabriel Skvor
Forty years ago a Monterey resident orbited the moon with the Apollo 14 astronauts.
- Monterey County Weekly, 16 May 2013
Moon Tree in Friendly Plaza - Monterey Public Library (2017)
Moon Tree in Friendly Plaza (pdf)
Historical Marker Database - Friendly Plaza
History of the Moon Tree Coast Redwoods
Moon Tree Home Page
Author/Curator:
Dr. David R. Williams, dave.williams@nasa.gov
NSSDCA, Mail Code 690.1
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771
+1-301-286-1258
NASA Official: Dave Williams, david.r.williams@nasa.gov
Last Updated: 20 May 2024, DRW