Danes increasingly choose forests for their final resting place

Forest burials in Denmark are expected to reach around 700 this year, up from 61 in 2020, DR reports. The forecast covers 22 forests managed by Skovbegravelse Administration, which runs most of the country’s 25 forest burial grounds in partnership with their owners.

Lars and Linda Kallan have reserved space for two urns beneath beech tree number 116 at Sønderholm Forest Burial Ground, near Vonsild outside Kolding. Lars says they chose the spot because nature has always mattered to them and because their family will not have to maintain a grave.

Only a small stone bearing the deceased’s name is placed in the forest floor. The grave requires no upkeep, and nature provides the only decoration, from autumn leaves to spring anemones.

The burial ground was approved by the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs a year ago. Its 150 trees are surrounded by graves. In its first year, 21 urns were buried there and 100 places were reserved, owner Henrik Tingleff says. He has also shown the forest to many people considering burial there.

Tingleff says people want a forest close to home rather than having to travel far, which is why the burial forests are no more than 60 kilometres apart. He says the trend is also evident in northern Germany.

Debate over the role of cemeteries

Elof Westergaard, bishop of the Diocese of Ribe and chair of the Association for Cemetery Culture, says the shift away from cemeteries means a loss of history. Cemeteries preserve the stories of a town and the lives lived there, he says, and can remind people that they belong to a place and are part of a longer history.

Professor emerita Margit Warburg, who interviewed about 50 people for a research project on forest burials, says many chose the option because they find the forest beautiful and remember walks there. Some liked the idea of relatives passing by, briefly acknowledging a loved one and carrying on with their walk. Others said they did not want the responsibility of maintaining a family grave.

Forest burial grounds are for urns, not coffins. The land is not consecrated and is neutral with regard to religion or faith. Graves are generally not decorated with flowers or candles, though a small memorial plaque may be placed at the foot of a tree.