PRESS RELEASE
HILLSBOROUGH, NH — Dr. Megan Sawyer, Life Forest team member, joins the 2021 Green Burial Conference to discuss GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping techniques for cemetery planning and memorialization. Life Forest is the first cemetery to legally offer burial of human and pet composted and cremated remains in a deed-recorded cemetery plot where the bereaved can plant a tree to serve as a memorial marker. Utilizing the latest technology is one way that Life Forest protects legacy for families while simultaneously providing a natural place to visit and giving back to the earth in which we live—truly protecting future generations.
The GIS mapping techniques spearheaded by Life Forest provide legacy protection for families opting for a forest burial. This mapping provides beneficiaries of the deceased the ability to pinpoint where their loved one is buried, as they are given the GPS coordinates to their loved one’s burial tree. This method of mapping can also be used while planning a cemetery. GIS technology allows the user to portray an overlay of watershed and wetland boundaries of a parcel of land so they can plan burial areas without disturbing protected ecosystems. Furthermore, soil data and topographical information can also be viewed to more accurately plan the layout of the cemetery. Once the cemetery is established, the same mapping system shows specific points on the map where the deceased are buried and stores biographical information such as vital dates, cremation numbers, beneficiary rights and obituary links.
The Green Burial Conference is an annual event hosted by the Green Burial Council of Placerville, California. This years’ event, titled “Green Life, Death & Future”, takes place virtually October 21-28, 2021. Register for the event here www.greenburialcouncil.org/conference.html.
About Life Forest®:
Life Forest is a conservation cemetery located amongst a natural forest where trees are planted to memorialize loved ones. Life Forest believes that a compassionate burial experience, and the planting of a tree, fosters an environment of healing after loss. The cemetery is surrounded by 80 acres of conservation land where families and friends of loved ones can hike numerous trails and swim in nearby creeks. Life Forest fosters a community of healing, hosting free acoustical concerts, shared memorial gardens, and educational opportunities for those in the environmental science and deathcare industries. Long-term forest management and plot maintenance is managed by the Life Forest Trails Commission and, because the trees act as burial monuments, the memorial trees are protected under cemetery law and legally recorded with burial plot GPS data to the Life Forest Deed.
