Life Forest Tree Burial Cemetery with Mel Bennett

Life Forest Tree Burial Cemetery with Mel Bennett

From Seeing Death Clearly by Jill McClennen

April 26, 2026 · 56 min · Episode 157

About this episode

Jill McClennen interviews Mel Bennett about Life Forest, a unique cemetery that combines burial with tree planting.

Send us Fan Mail Death doula and funeral celebrant Jill McClennen interviews Mel Bennett, founder of Life Forest in New Hampshire, a nonprofit cemetery and public arboretum where human and pet cremated remains are buried with newly planted trees. After caring for her mother through early-onset frontal lobe dementia, Mel received her mother’s ashes in a plastic bag and box, which pushed her to create a more meaningful, healing legacy. She explains how the land is conserved, how each tree is le...

People in this episode

Host: Jill McClennen

Guest: Mel Bennett

Topics covered

  • death care
  • burial practices
  • environmental conservation
  • funeral services
  • legacy creation

Keywords

  • tree burial
  • cremated remains
  • nonprofit cemetery
  • public arboretum
  • healing legacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Life Forest

Places: New Hampshire

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