Secure 20% off your memorial tree in Sierra Nevada
A more beautiful resting place
Continue the cycle of life when your ashes are mixed with soil and returned to the base of your tree.
A personal memorial ceremony
Your forest steward will help shape a memorial ceremony that reflects your unique personality.
A legacy of protected landscapes
The purchase of your memorial tree helps conserve open spaces and reforest America.
What is the Memorial Trees for Heroes program?
Their “Memorial Trees for Heroes” initiative gives frontline heroes a serene resting place, a personalized memorial service and a legacy of conservation. The company is first offering memorial trees from its protected coastal Mendocino County forest, where families of fallen frontline workers across the country may enroll to reserve a tree. The Memorial Trees for Heroes initiative provides up to $1 million worth of memorial trees to healthcare providers, caregivers and first responder professionals who gave their lives in the fight against COVID-19 at no cost.
The offer aims to give frontline heroes the legacy reflective of the brave sacrifice they’ve made and to help provide some solace for grieving families and loved ones. Funeral and memorial planning can be an incredibly stressful and expensive endeavor. The average traditional burial costs around $8,755, and we hope to ease the burden and cost of planning a memorial for your hero.
It’s our small way of saying thank you for your hero’s incredible service to our country.
What is Better Place Forests?
Better Place Forests offers private memorial trees in a protected conservation memorial forest. Ashes are mixed with soil and returned to the base of the tree during a personalized memorial ceremony, where a customized bronze memorial marker is placed. To learn more about the process, click here. Memorial trees offer frontline heroes a peaceful resting place, a personalized memorial service and a legacy of conservation.
Lock in 20% off your memorial tree today
with a fully-refundable $95 deposit
© 2021 Better Place Forests
Our serene coastal California forest features stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.
Point Arena, California
Where are the memorial trees located?
We’ll begin by offering trees to frontline heroes in our coastal California forest in Mendocino county.
To serve areas most impacted by COVID-19, we are seeking to expand to heavily impacted states like New York.
We want to help covid19 impacted areas
FAQs
Can I apply if I don’t live in California?
Yes the Memorial Trees for Heroes is for healthcare providers, caregivers, and first response professionals across America.
The timeline for memorial services in Point Arena is subject to shelter-in-place guidelines for the State of California, Mendocino County, and Better Place Forests. As soon as we are able, we will open the forest to visitors and begin scheduling Memorial Ceremonies. We are happy to begin the planning process with you in advance of opening the forest.
When will a ceremony take place?
Better Place Forests purchases beautiful forest land and conserves it for future generations. We offer private memorial trees in a protected memorial conservation forest. Ashes are mixed with soil and returned to the base of the tree during a personalized memorial ceremony. A customized bronze memorial marker is placed at the tree marking the location.
How does Better Place Forests work?
We would be happy to put you in touch with an Advisor who can tell you more about purchasing a memorial tree.
What if I don’t qualify but am interested in a memorial tree with Better Place Forests?
We are reviewing applications as quickly as possible and will aim to reach out to you within 48 hours of your submission. For those who qualify, we’ll answer any questions you have and discuss the details of selecting a memorial tree for your hero.
When and how will I be contacted?
We will need a death certificate and verification of your hero’s occupation and place of employment. The customer care team will review documentation requirements with you in detail on their call.
What documentation do you require?
If you have land you would like to dedicate to the program, we’d love to be in touch. Fill out this form and a member of our real estate team will reach out.
Do you own forestland you’d like to dedicate to frontline heroes?
How it works
Our mission is to inspire everyone to leave a meaningful legacy for the planet and the people they love. We support families in their end of life arrangements while conserving and protecting natural areas. See the video below to discover more about how Better Place Forests works.
Leave a legacy of trees
Your ashes are placed beneath a private tree in a peaceful, protected forest where your loved ones can visit and remember you. Your memorial also helps conserve open spaces and reforest America through our partnership with nonprofit One Tree Planted.
Choose from towering pines and majestic oaks in our Yosemite Gateway or Western Sierra forests
Get to know the Sierra Nevada forests
Better Place Forests Yosemite Gateway is a beautiful 170-acre forest just 30 miles from the Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park. It’s an easy drive from Central Valley, the Bay Area, and Southern California.
This 170-acre forest features giant pines and ancient black oaks surrounding two woodland meadows. Peaceful and picturesque, this woodland is home to a rich variety of bird life and other fauna, and offers glorious views to visitors throughout the seasons.
Meanwhile, Better Place Forests Western Sierra is a welcoming and mature 48-acre forest located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Conveniently located off of Highway 50, just one hour from South Lake Tahoe, it’s an easy drive for residents in Sacramento, Reno, and the Bay Area.
Nestled in the town of Pollock Pines, just one mile from the historic Pony Express Trail, this welcoming forest features a bounty of towering mixed conifer trees – many of which grew up during the Gold Rush era and now reach heights of over 200 feet tall!
We couldn’t be more excited to help preserve these beautiful Sierra Nevada forests and offer families a peaceful sanctuary to reflect and remember their loved ones.
Secure 20% savings
with a fully-refundable $95 deposit
First pick of trees
20% off your tree
Your name inscribed in the forest
Jump to the front of the line! Get early supporter benefits with your fully-refundable $95 deposit
First pick of trees
20% off your tree
Your name inscribed in the forest
By continuing, you consent to receive phone calls and/or text (SMS) messages from Better Place Forests for marketing and customer service purposes at the phone number above, acknowledge that these calls and text messages may be generated using automatic dialing or other technology, and agree that you will notify Better Place Forests if you change your number. You can still choose to make a purchase even if you do not consent to these text messages/calls, and your consent to receive text messages/calls does not mean you consent to make a purchase. Message and data rates may apply.
By continuing, you agree to Better Place Forests' Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls or SMS messages, including by an automated dialer, from Better Place Forests to the number you provide for informational and/or marketing purposes. Consent to receive marketing messages is not a condition of purchase. Message and data rates may apply. You understand that you may opt out by texting “STOP.”
Guaranteed 20% off your tree
First pick of trees
Your name inscribed in the forest
Place a fully-refundable $95 deposit to secure:
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Deposit valid for both Yosemite Gateway and Western Sierra.
We’ll help you choose the right forest for you during your online tour.
I love the idea that Better Place Forests will help protect this property and its natural beauty for generations to come. Litchfield Hills is known for its lush greenery and iconic, open spaces, and I’m inspired knowing that this forest will offer such a peaceful way for the families and friends of our community to memorialize one’s life.
Susan K.
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“As opposed to going to a cemetery and going back each year to grieve the loss of a loved one…going to a forest and being in that peaceful place, I think that’s a great idea.”
“It’s good for the environment, the location is more beautiful than a traditional graveyard, and it’s cheaper as well.”
“In a time when conservation is becoming increasingly urgent, it’s rather poetic to protect a tree with your remains, secure in the knowledge that more are being planted in your honor.”
The news is spreading
Deposit valid for both Yosemite Gateway and Western Sierra.
We’ll help you choose the right forest for you during your online tour.
FAQs
What tree species are in the forest?
In both Yosemite Gateway and Western Sierra forests, you can choose from a variety of classic Sierra tree species, including ponderosa pines, sugar pines, incense cedars, Douglas firs, white firs, black oaks, and bigleaf maples.
Where is Better Place Forests Western Sierra located?
Better Place Forests Yosemite is located just 30 miles from the Big Oak Flat entrance of Yosemite National Park. Situated near the intersection of Route-49, the historic Gold Rush route, and Route-120 which winds through Yosemite National Park, it’s an easy drive from Central Valley, the Bay Area, and Southern California.
Better Place Forests Western Sierra is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in northern California, one mile from the historic Pony Express Trail. Conveniently located off of Highway 50, just one hour from South Lake Tahoe, it’s an easy drive for residents in Sacramento, Reno, and the Bay Area.
Can I spread my pet’s ashes around my memorial tree?
Yes! We view pets as part of the family and encourage the inclusion of pets in your memorial.
How is Better Place Forests supporting the local community?
We focus on building strong relationships in the community and supporting local organizations. We also intend to hire forest stewards, arborists, and memorial ceremony team members locally.
How much does a Better Place Forests tree memorial cost?
We offer a range of prices for any budget. Memorial trees start at $4,900 — less than half the cost of a traditional burial. Pricing for memorial trees is based on several factors, including: location, setting (views, rock features, etc.), tree size, and the number of spreading rights. In contrast, the average burial, plot, and headstone costs around $15,000 per person.
How does the deposit work? Do I have to choose which forest I want now?
You don’t need to decide right away! Your deposit can apply to either forest. You can decide after you learn more about the unique qualities and features of each property.