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NASA Moon Trees - Loblolly Pine

NASA Moon Trees - Loblolly Pine

A map of North America with a region in the southeastern United States outlined.

The Apollo 14 Mission's Loblolly Pine Moon Trees and other loblolly pine trees are native to the southeastern United States, from southern New Jersey to central Florida and west through the Gulf States to eastern Texas.  They are also found in southeastern Oklahoma, central Arkansas, and southern Tennessee. Please note that loblolly pine trees are commonly used in landscaping and may be found in parks, arboreta, yards, and other locations well-outside their native range.

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), also called Arkansas pine, North Carolina pine, and oldfield pine, is the most commercially important forest species in the southern United States, where it is dominant on about 11.7 million ha (29 million acres) and makes up over one-half of the standing pine volume. It is a medium-lived, intolerant to moderately tolerant tree with rapid juvenile growth. The species responds well to silvicultural treatments and can be managed as either even-aged or uneven-aged natural stands, or can be regenerated artificially and managed in plantations. (Source: USDA Forest Service new window)

 

How to identify loblolly pine trees:

Loblolly Pine trees are evergreen trees that produce 5-9 inch-long needles that typically grow in bundles of three. The bark is dark and furrowed on older trees. Loblolly Pine trees produce cylindrical cones that are 2.5-6 inches long and have sharp prickles. The cones can stay on the tree for three years. Learn more: 

How to Identify Loblolly Pine | Washington University Arboretum | Washington University in St. Louis (wustl.edu) new window

Differentiating Between Loblolly, Longleaf, and Other Southern Pines in the Woods – Clemson Extension Forestry and Wildlife new window

Several free apps will help you identify tree species, including LeafSnap new window, iNaturalist new window, or Pl@ntNet new window. 

 

Example images of loblolly pine trees:

Left image: loblolly pine tree (Credit: USDA Forest Service); upper right image: loblolly pine bark (Credit: Washington University Arboretum); lower right image: loblolly pine cone and needles (Credit: University of South Carolina).

 

How to participate in the quest for the loblolly pine trees:

1. Identify loblolly pine trees and measure their height (and circumference if you have a tape measure) with the Trees tool in the GLOBE Observer app. Make sure you clearly see the top and bottom of the tree and that you can walk to the base of the tree from an origin point of 25-75 feet away from the tree. Before submitting your observation, please type "#MoonTree" in the comment box.

2. The app will notify you if you are within a certain distance from from an existing Apollo 14 Loblolly Pine Tree. If you are able to find a specific Apollo 14 Loblolly Pine Moon Tree, please take a tree height observation and optional tree circumference. Before submitting your observation, please type "#MoonTree" in the comment box.

Note: Our information regarding the location and status of the existing Apollo 14 Moon Trees is based on the  NASA Moon Trees Archive. new window Some information may have changed since the latest update in the archive or the information may lack precision. Also, there may be Moon Trees for which we don’t have a confirmed location. Some are included in the Moon Trees Archive, but there may be more. Please send us updates, including information about Moon Trees not on our list, through our contact form. Thank you!

 

Accessible Apollo 14 Loblolly Pine Moon Trees:

(Click on the links below to learn more about each of the Apollo 14 Moon Trees from the NASA Moon Trees Archive)

Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama. State Capitol. new window Latitude: 32.3775, Longitude: -86.3008. 600 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36104

Troy, Alabama. Pioneer Museum of Alabama. new window Latitude: 31.8244, Longitude: -85.9958. 248 US-231, Troy, AL 36081

Tuscumbia, Alabama. Ivy Green. new window Latitude: 34.4434, Longitude: -87.4239. 300 North Commons Street West Tuscumbia, AL 35674

Arkansas

Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Sebastian County Courthouse. new window Latitude: 35.3857, Longitude: -94.4264. 35 S 6th St, Fort Smith, AR 72901

Washington, Arkansas. Old Washington Historic State Park. new window Latitude: 33.7757, Longitude: -93.6805. 103 Franklin St, Washington, AR 71862.

Georgia

Athens, Georgia. Clarke County Planning Department. new window Latitude: 33.9608, Longitude: -83.3789. 120 W. Dougherty St, Athens, GA

Louisiana

Elmer, Louisiana. Palustris Experimental Forest. new window Latitude: 31.1785, Longitude: -92.6771. 195 Turnage Rd, Elmer, LA 71424

Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee. University of Tennessee. new window Latitude: 35.2036, Longitude: -85.9186. 1331 Circle Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37916

 

To see the locations of all known Moon Trees, visit the NASA Moon Trees Archive. new window We extend a special thank you to Dr. David Williams, Acting Head, NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Planetary Scientist, Planetary Data System Management Office, and Curator of the NASA Moon Trees Archive, without which the NASA Moon Trees Quest would not be possible. The NASA Moon Trees Archive includes more about the history of the Apollo 14 Moon Trees, descriptions of individual Moon Trees, and associated resources.