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“Moon Tree” Planted on Arbor Day at Stony Brook University's Main Campus

Stony Brook University’s Department of Geosciences recently partnered with the Department of Campus Operations & Maintenance for an ‘out of this world’ Arbor Day celebration, in honor of SBU being named a 2021 Tree Campus Higher Education Institution for the ninth consecutive year.

Professor of Geosciences, Timothy Glotch worked closely with SBU’s Special Project and Campus Hardscapes Manager Michael DeBlasi to source and purchase a second generation Moon Tree, grown from an established first generation Moon Tree rooted at Mississippi State University. The Sycamore Sapling was planted on Tuesday May 3rd behind the Earth and Space Sciences Building with help from several Geosciences students and researchers. 

Original Moon Trees were planted from seeds brought around the Moon in 1971 aboard Apollo 14. While this was the third U. S. Apollo mission to land on the surface of the Moon, the flight was unique in one way - it was the first time tree seeds were taken aboard with the intent to later germinate ‘Moon trees’. Apollo 14 Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa, a former U.S. Forest Service smokejumper, carried approximately 500 tree seeds with him on the journey into space. 

After the flight, the seeds were delivered to two Forest Service stations, one in Mississippi and one in California, where almost all germinated successfully. Over the years, many Moon Trees have been given away to state forestry organizations to be planted as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration, and now SBU is lucky enough to have a second generation Moon Tree as part of our campus landscape.

Pictured: Geosciences students and researchers join Professor Timothy Glotch behind Stony Brook University’s second generation Moon Tree.

Pictured: Geosciences students and researchers join Professor Timothy Glotch behind Stony Brook University’s second generation Moon Tree.