Green Burial at Willow-Witt Ranch - Conservation, Restoration, Education since 1985
  • prepared grave site by meadow

    Oregon’s first dedicated natural burial ground

  • aerial view of Willow-Witt Ranch in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

    Located within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon

  • natural burial mound planted with flowers

    Offering burial in reciprocity with the living landscape

  • first snow on green burial site

    Reinforcing the vital connection between people and the natural world

  • natural burial site with first snow

    Preserving a unique ecosystem through intentional stewardship in perpetuity

  • The Forest fall colors

    Caring for a unique ecosystem through conservation, regeneration, and education

The Forest Conservation Burial Ground provides a space to reconnect our experience of life and death with land conservation.

We acknowledge that the Shasta, Upland Takelma, Latgawa and Athabaskan peoples stewarded these lands for millennia. We also acknowledge the intergenerational trauma caused by their forcible removal from their ancestral lands. The people whose ancestors lived on this land are now citizens of The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians, The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, or The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.

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What is Natural or Green Burial?

Natural or green burial is a return to simple, non-toxic burials designed to support the reunion of human bodies with nature.

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Where is The Forest Conservation Burial Ground?

We are located within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon, just outside of the city of Ashland.

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What is Forest Pet Cemetery?

Natural burial of companion animals or cremated remains returns these beloved family members to the earth in simplicity and dignity. 

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A Few Things That Make The Forest Special:

  • The Forest supports funeral services and ceremonies that are intimate and personalized.

  • Family and friends are invited to be active participants, not solely attendees. 

  • People of all faiths, identities, and walks of life come together in shared honoring of the experiences we hold together, and shared reverence for the space that holds us.

  • The dedicated natural burial grounds are meant to be shared with the living.

Latest Stories

first burial at natural burial ground

First Burial at The Forest

July 31, 2020
Life surrounded us as we approached the grave site with Scott’s body wrapped beautifully in a silk shroud woven with color. Deer walked across the meadow while we watched from the edge under the protection of towering pines and firs. Though this was a reverent affair, the swallows in the nearby nest box maintained their […]
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wildflowers in The Forest natural burial ground

Spring Greetings & Happy Earth Day!

April 21, 2020
We hope that you all have been safe and healthy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the budding spring is bringing you joy. Here at The Forest Conservation Burial Ground, we believe that every day is Earth Day. That is why we’re committed to doing our part to protect, conserve, and renew our land […]
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The Forest
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© The Forest Conservation Burial Ground. All rights reserved.
This facility is licensed and regulated by the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board (971) 673-1500.
Site developed and hosted by Rogue Web Works.

The Forest Conservation Burial Ground
658 Shale City Road
Ashland, OR 97520
(541) 625-9697
info@theforestconservationburial.org