The Eco‑Friendly Promise of Tree Burials

Today, and March 31st annually, is Tree Burials / A thousand year Olive Forest Day 樹木葬・千年オリーブの森の日 in Japan. The anniversary was created by a cemetery to mark the anniversary of its founding, on this day in 2018. 

There seems to be a growing, if you'll pardon the pun, interest in tree burials—an eco‑friendly, emotionally resonant alternative to traditional graves. In these serene spaces, people rest beneath living trees, becoming part of the landscape rather than occupying stone plots. The olive groves symbolize peace, longevity, and continuity, offering families a place where grief softens into quiet connection with the natural world. 

I have to admit; I have become very interested in the idea of a tree burial after reading about this newer (or rather regenerated) way of sustainable interring, literally and figuratively returning to nature.