KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – On Jan. 31, 1971, Apollo 14 launched into outer space, and two astronauts rode Command Module "Kitty Hawk" down onto the rocky lunar service. 

Astronaut Stuart Roosa – and about 500 seeds – remained circling in the Moon's orbit. 

The three astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean nine days later. Roosa's seeds were then distributed nationwide, and many germinated into healthy, full-sized "Moon trees."

Keystone Heights has its own Moon tree, standing tall on the corner of Lawrence Boulevard and Oriole Street, near the library and the city hall. 

Only about 100 accounted for Moon trees in the United States.

Bob Byrnes was the one who brought the "out of this world" tree back to Keystone Heights, and actually, it was an unexpected gift. 

Byrnes has always been an avid gardener. One day, he was browsing through a magazine when he stumbled upon an article about Dr. Bob Hayes, a geneticist and researcher with the U.S. Forest Service, who was selecting trees to have a more beautiful fall color. 

In 1982, Byrnes contacted Hayes and drove to his home in Gulfport, Mississippi. The two hit it off great (as all gardeners do), and Byrnes was invited to spend the night. Then, Hayes invited him to his nursery, eager to show him a prized possession. 

"It was the Moon Sycamore. By then, the seed had germinated into a sizeable sprout," Byrnes said. 

"He appreciated my interest. He said, 'You need to have this plant!'" Byrnes said. 

Hayes himself received the seed from the University of Florida. 

The two gardeners traded plants (as all gardeners do) and Byrnes drove the sizable sapling back home. 

The tree was planted in its current location in 1984, roughly 40 years ago. Byrnes attributes that to Leona Terry, a previous Keystone Heights City Clerk. 

"I met her. I gave her the tree. We discussed putting it some place on the property."

Byrnes said Terry was indispensable not just for the Moon Tree, but for many trees in city limits. 

"She was involved in forestry. She got Keystone Heights certified as a Tree City. If you drive around, you'll see a sign that says, 'Tree City.' That was because of Terry." 

A municipality must meet the standards set by the Arbor Day Foundation to be a Tree City. There are about 3,400 Tree Cities throughout the U.S.

Several ideas for the Keystone Heights Parks Master Plan have been proposed. One idea was to make the Moon Tree a distinguished focal point in the community by adding seating arrangements and lights around the tree's base or canopy.

Councilmember Dan Lewandowski has expressed an interest in cultivating the next generation, the "Child of the Moon Tree," so that history can be preserved in case the city's beloved sycamore suffers an unexpected ailment. 

Originally, the scientific purpose behind the Moon trees was to discern whether exposure to outer space and its harsh radiation would have any effect on the seeds. Today, the tree is strong and sturdy. Byrnes hopes the tree stays healthy and growing for many years. 

"They're pretty tough plants. I seldom see any disease or insects with the sycamore. It's one of the most distributed trees in the country. There're not many places it won't grow," he said. 

Even after a trip around the Moon.