What We Offer
Burial
For burial in Vermont Forest Cemetery, bodies should not be embalmed or otherwise chemically preserved (even with so-called "green embalming" chemicals). Immediate burial is not necessary, as bodies can be kept cool using refrigeration or ice until the date of interment. Bodies will be buried in a biodegradable container or shroud made out of natural materials such as wood, cardboard, and natural fibers. Plastic is not permitted in the cemetery, and metal and synthetic fibers are strongly discouraged. Vermont Forest Cemetery is open for burial 365 days a year. We can connect families with artisans who are creating caskets made of wicker and wood. People are also welcome to provide their own caskets, shrouds, and burial containers. We encourage people to keep their carbon footprint small and support Vermont's economy by purchasing locally.
​
Working with a funeral director is not required. Please contact us to learn more and make arrangements. We work closely with a local for-profit business, Green Mountain Funeral Alternatives, which provides hands-on support for people who do not wish to work with a funeral director.
​
Burial must take place between dawn and dusk and may include a graveside service. People are welcome to assist in decorating the grave, lowering the body by hand, and closing the grave. Once closed, the grave will re-wild with understory vegetation. Paths to gravesites will also be allowed to re-wild, but can be maintained by visitors: they will not be maintained by the cemetery without specific arrangements. Visits must take place during daylight hours. All visitors must sign a log-book when entering and exiting the cemetery and agree to abide by our rules and regulations.
​
All burial sites are surveyed and recorded on a map that is on file both at the cemetery office and the Town of Roxbury. Each grave will be marked with a bronze pin just beneath the soil surface, and families may choose to place flat surface headstones or any marker that does not require a concrete base and does not disrupt the character of the burial area. Certain areas of the cemetery will also allow for grave decorations made of natural, biodegradable materials. All markers will be reviewed by the cemetery.
​
Burial of household pets up to 200 lbs is permitted. Lots can be purchased for pet burial and the interment of ashes.
Interment, Scattering, and Amendment of Ashes After Cremation
Ashes after cremation can be interred in Vermont Forest Cemetery. Urns must be made out of natural, biodegradable material such as clay, wood, and natural fibers.
​
Ashes may also be scattered. Because ashes after cremation have a pH of 11.4 and are mostly inert salt, scattering can only take place in designated areas or incorporated into a burial lots in symbolic amounts. Ashes can also be amended. Amending ashes after cremation helps neutralize their pH and allows the soil to access the calcium and phosphate. Amended ashes can be interred or either turned into the soil at a burial site or in a cremation lot.
​
Interment, scattering, and turning in of amended ashes can be accompanied by a ceremony. Paths to sites are kept open for visitors. Visits must take place during daylight hours, and all visitors must sign a log-book when entering and exiting the cemetery.
​
These interment graves are surveyed and recorded on a map that is on file both at the cemetery office and the Town of Roxbury. Each grave will be marked with a bronze pin just beneath the soil surface, and families may choose to place flat surface headstones or any marker that does not require a concrete base and does not disrupt the character of the burial area. All markers will be reviewed by the cemetery.
The Memorial Grove
Sometimes, there is no body to bury. In addition to our scattering areas, we also have a section where families can memorialize a loved one: an infant who died before birth, a soldier who died overseas, or anyone who is no longer with us and does not have a grave. Markers in this section are subject to the same policies as all other areas.
Sites are similarly surveyed as graves, and recorded on a map that is on file both at the cemetery office and the Town of Roxbury. Families may choose to place flat surface headstones or any marker that does not require a concrete base and does not disrupt the character of the burial area. All markers will be reviewed by the cemetery.
.