Redwood forest burial service transforms grief into growth
Under the emerald embrace of ancient redwoods, Janet Rohrer and her family found a final resting place for their loved ones. The location is as much about life as it is about death.
"This just seemed like the perfect place to come full circle," Rohrer said.
On a sunny day in July, Rohrer said goodbye to three family members: her parents Eugene and Barbara Brown and her brother Matthew, a firefighter who cherished the outdoors.
Which is why, instead of a gravestone or a mausoleum, the Rohrer family opted for a living, breathing tree.
"Knowing my family will be here, helps me to just feel a lot of peace about them being here, enriching the forest and returning to nature," she said.
As part of the ceremony, the ashes were mixed with local soil and spread at the base of a chosen redwood. A plaque was then affixed with the names of the deceased.
The redwood forest, near Santa Cruz is owned by Better Place Forests, a San Francisco-based company that's trying to make a different kind of cemetery.
Gillian Nye, a forest memorial manager, said these types of greener funerals are part of a growing trend among those looking for more eco-friendly funerals.
"People choose a tree because they want to be part of a living ecosystem. It's a way of living on through the forest, it's a type of a legacy," she said.
The company has been buying up forests across the country and arranging conservation easements to prevent the land from ever being developed.
Customers claim the tree in perpetuity. If it dies, another one is planted in its place. The cost, starting at about $6,000, varies depending on the tree's species, size and location.
For Rohrer the selling point is being able to visit her loved ones in a joyful setting.
"We now have this living family legacy for all of our family members to enjoy," she said.