What is a woodland memorial?

Memorial woodlands offer a natural and beautiful setting for a funeral. Families are given the chance to say their farewells to their loved one in a peaceful woodland.

A woodland burial is different from a traditional burial in that it’s completely natural, woodland burials use bio-degradable materials to help out the environment. Unlike traditional burials, woodland burials don’t use embalming fluid on the deceased body, meaning that the body will decay and decompose much easier, benefiting the surrounding environment and plants. The earth can absorb the chemicals and gases that are released from the decomposing body, which can help plants to grow.

Graves for woodland burials aren’t dug as deep as they are for traditional burials. Having a shallower grave means that deceased bodies can decompose quicker, making it more beneficial for the environment.

Memorial woodlands also use small stones with an engraving of where the deceased was buried. Memorial woodlands will only use materials that are as environmentally friendly as possible.

What coffins are used at a woodland burial? 

Woodland burials will use bio-degradable coffins, such as wicker, bamboo, cardboard, or willow. Traditional coffins won’t be able to be used in woodland burials as they will interfere with the surrounding environment too much and won’t biodegrade as easily.

Why choose a woodland burial? 

Woodland burials are an eco-friendly burial option that gives back to the earth by using bio-degradable materials and shallow graves to help the body to decompose faster, allowing it to be absorbed by the environment. The decomposition of the body helps the surrounding environment to flourish. Plants and trees can grow, which attracts wildlife to the area, creating an ecosystem within the woodland, which can be a beautiful way to honour your loved one’s life.

If you’re looking for a funeral that is mindful of the environment, then a woodland burial is the best solution. Traditional funerals can hurt the environment due to the materials that are used. Over 100,000 tonnes of concrete and granite are used in the UK for traditional funerals. Formaldehyde, which is used in embalming can sometimes leak into the soil after the body has been buried, which can negatively affect the surrounding land.

As well as being eco-friendly, woodland burials offer the flexibility that traditional burials don’t. You can choose what headstone you want, clothing, the grave site, what casket the deceased person will be buried in and how they will be buried. You can choose to help dig the grave yourself and carry the body. You can also choose whether to have a ceremony or not. Some woodland burial sites have a small building for ceremonies to take place.

If you don’t want a religious funeral or would prefer to be buried more naturally, then a woodland burial would be the best option.