
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
More episodes of Seeing Death Clearly
- Digital Legacy: Cumulus Memorial Platform with Alexander Josephson · May 31, 2026 · 43 min
- Suicide Loss and Healing Through Writing with Wendy Juergens · May 24, 2026 · 43 min
- Caring House: Creating Comfort in the Final Days · May 17, 2026 · 47 min
- Behind the Scenes of Funeral Directing with Tasha Dugan and Amanda Kyle of Laurel Hill Cemetery · May 10, 2026 · 46 min
- Grief, Fatherhood, and Breaking the Silence Around Death with Matt Fogelson · May 4, 2026 · 46 min
- Grief, Impermanence, and End-of-Life Planning with Jermaine Ee · April 19, 2026 · 1h 5m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Seeing Death Clearly podcast page.