University of Montana Moon Tree

Missoula, Montana

A Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) Moon Tree was planted at the University of Montana in Missoula on 17 July 1976. The planting took place at the University Center and included Dr Roger Bay, director of the Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station (IFRES), Dr. Ralph Klawitter, assistant director of the IFRES in Missoula, Dr. Robert Wambach, dean of the University of Montana school of Forestry, and Gary Brown, chief of the Cooperative Bureau, Forestry Division, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

It is not known if the tree is still alive.

The seeds for the Douglas firs that were taken on Apollo 14 were collected in Benton County, Oregon, and El Dorado County, California and sent to the U.S. Forest Service Institute of Forest Genetics (IFG) western station in Placerville, California. Unfortunately the seeds were mixed after the flight, so it is impossible to tell for any of the Douglas firs which lot they came from. The seedlings were grown in Placerville this was one of four sent to Montana in April 1976. It was cared for at the Intermountain Station's Forestry Science Laboratory on the University campus. More detail on the history of the Douglas fir Moon Trees is available.

Information courtesy Jim Nelson

NASA Official: Dave Williams, david.r.williams@nasa.gov
Last Updated: 09 February 2022, DRW