Sequoia Seedling 'Moon Tree' Planted In Dana Point By Girl Scouts

DANA POINT, CA — Local Girl Scout Troop 7574 and the City of Dana Point celebrated in a big way, after a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for a newly-planted Moon Tree Monday.

The giant sequoia Moon Tree may grow to be between 250 and 300 feet tall with a circumference of over 94 feet, City Spokesperson Jessica Spaulding said.

According to Spaulding, in 2022, the Artemis 1 Mission was launched into space from the Kennedy Space Center carrying five species of tree seeds that would journey 270,000 miles from earth aboard the Orion spacecraft during a 25-day mission.

The USDA Forest Service grew the seeds into seedlings and called them Moon Trees, Spaulding told Patch.

"In October of last year, local Girl Scout Troop 7574 and the City of Dana Point applied for a Moon Tree and their application was selected," Spaulding said. "The Giant Sequoia seedling they received was planted in Dana Point’s Sea Canyon Park on May 6, 2024."