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Forest cemetery leaves a living legacy
When Middleburg resident Rick Dawson was asked by Centreville business owner Jack Lowe to turn part of a Methodist adventure camp into a forest cemetery where trees serve as living memorials, he thought he was going crazy.
"I said, 'Are you serious?' but then I thought about it and it made perfect sense."
Dawson is executive director of Camp Highroad, a 657-acre summer camp owned by the United Methodist Church of Northern Virginia, comprised of 104 churches.
Last October, he partnered with Lowe to designate 2.5 acres of the camp near Middleburg as the first natural forest cemetery in the United States.
The cremated remains of families and individuals are buried in biodegradable cornstarch urns under trees that are leased from Lowe's Centreville-based company, EcoEternity.
Trees, not burial plots and tombstones, become the final resting places for the ashes of loved ones. The trees are leased for 99 years, the longest lease period allowed by Virginia law, according to Lowe.
Family members can choose the species, age, girth and location of tree, and bury their loved ones remains under its branches. Prices range from $800 to $18,000 depending on the tree. Most are named.
Dawson's own daughter, Charlotte, was killed by a drunk driver in 1994. He had her cremated but says he did not know what to do with her ashes and kept them in his home.
"I hear the same thing from people every day," he says. "I think a lot of people are in that same situation,"
According to Lowe, many people have contacted the company because they have retained ashes at home, waiting for a meaningful final resting place.
Today, Charlotte's remains are buried under one of the oldest and largest trees in the cemetery, called "the Guardian of the Forest."
"That tree is about 170 years old," Dawson said. "When we decided to go along with this idea, I knew this was the ideal place for her."
Lowe says the idea of having a tree as a living memorial may seem unusual in the United States, but says the idea is better known in other countries with less land mass.
"It is environmentally friendly and ultimately less expensive than a traditional burial," he added.
The one-time price for leasing a "Family Reunion" tree starts at $4,500 with a $300 interment fee. Each tree can accommodate up to 15 family members or friends who can be interred over the span of the 99-year lease. Currently, nine trees are leased and four sets of remains are buried on the site.
"We leave it up to you whether you want to include a beloved pet as a family member or not," said Dawson.
A separate pet-only cemetery is also available for as little as $80. That one is limited to new-growth pine trees that can be leased for 20 years.
"You don't have to be Methodist or even religious to have your remains buried here," said Dawson. "As a matter of fact, we buried the remains of a confirmed atheist here not long ago."
Contact the reporter at gmacdonald@timespapers.com
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