A New Quebec Cemetery Literally Feeds People To Trees
The memorials can store virtual keepsakes. 🌳🪦
A hand sculpture sticking out of the ground around the base of a tree in the forest.
The solemn epitaphs and stone-cold tombstones of traditional cemeteries have taken a walk in the woods. Quebec's Laurentians are welcoming Forêt de la Seconde Vie, an eco-cemetery that's more digital ghost and less granite, a place where ancestral roots meet tree roots in a unique blend of remembrance, conservation and technology.
The green cemetery, developed by the Institut des Territoires du Québec, provides a restful spot for scattering or burying ashes under a lush canopy. It also aims to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change, leaving a sustainable legacy for future generations.
An interactive application turns a visit to the site into a virtual journey through a forest of memories. Visitors can use geolocation to find the resting place of a loved one. At the base of each tree is a virtual trove of personal keepsakes — photos, videos, 3D images, and more — ensuring their legacy lives on, encapsulated in cyberspace and the natural world.
Options range from shared trees that can accommodate up to eight deceased individuals to private plots with a choice of burial neighbors. For those desiring a personalized resting place, the cemetery offers a 196 square-foot space, with a tree at least four feet tall. The package also includes mycorrhizal fungi that nourish the soil and help root a tree, a certificate of Rooting and Perpetual Protection, and an interactive commemorative cloud complete with a biographical questionnaire and an option to add pictures and videos.
Pet owners seeking a place for their cherished companions can access a "Biodiversity Meadow," allowing pets to rest at the foot of their owners' tree of life or memorial tree under certain conditions.
The cemetery will officially launch on August 10. Forêt de la Seconde Vie will only be accessible by appointment and limited to tree owners and families of the deceased.
The new cemetery represents a shift in cultural perceptions of death, or at least offers an opportunity to rethink the conventional rituals associated with death, repositioning cemeteries as places for fostering life and rejuvenation.
