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Life Forest

@lifeforest

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A Non-Profit Conservation Cemetery for Environmentally-Friendly Cremation Burials with locations in Hillsborough, New Hampshire and Auburn, Maine

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🌼🦋 Día de los Muertos | A Celebration of Life and Remembrance 🦋🌼

Today, we honor Día de los Muertos, a beautiful Mexican tradition that reminds us that death does not end the relationships we share with those we love.

Through marigolds, photographs, favorite foods, music, and storytelling, families welcome the memories of their loved ones back into their celebrations.

At Life Forest, we believe remembrance can be something living and growing. A tree reaching toward the sky, roots spreading beneath the earth, and a peaceful place to return to when we want to feel close to someone we've lost.

Grief and celebration can exist together. We can miss someone deeply while still finding joy in remembering how they lived.

🌳 Those we love remain part of our story, and the love we carry continues to grow.

Who are you remembering today? We invite you to share their name or a favorite memory in the comments. ❤️

#DiaDeLosMuertos #DayOfTheDead #LifeForest #LivingMemorials #RememberingLovedOnes by @lifeforest

🌳 “They speak his praises without flattery, and they are blessings to children yet unborn.” — Lord Orrery

There's something beautiful about the idea that a tree planted in someone's memory can continue giving long after we're gone.

At Life Forest, trees become living memorials. They grow, change with the seasons, provide shelter for wildlife, and offer a place for future generations to visit and remember.

A traditional monument preserves a name. A living monument becomes part of the world around it.

Imagine your grandchildren, or even their grandchildren, sitting beneath the branches of a tree planted in your memory.

That's a legacy that grows. 💚🌳

#LifeForest #LivingMemorials #LordOrrery #TreeMemorials #LegacyTrees FutureGenerations CremationMemorials NewHampshire HillsboroughNH NatureAndRemembrance LeaveALegacy by @lifeforest

by @lifeforest

At Life Forest, even our youngest trees deserve a little extra care!

As winter approaches here in New Hampshire, we're wrapping our young trees in burlap to help protect them from harsh winds, winter sun, and seasonal stress.

These little trees have a big future ahead of them!

One day, they'll provide shade, shelter for wildlife, and a beautiful living legacy for generations to come.

Because at Life Forest, caring for tomorrow's forest begins with protecting what we plant today. 🌳💚

#lifeforest #winterprep by @lifeforest

📚🌲 Every book has a story, and every story deserves to be shared.

Nestled among the trees at Life Forest, our Little Free Library offers visitors another way to connect, reflect, and enjoy the peaceful beauty of nature.

Whether you're visiting a loved one, exploring our forest, or simply looking for a quiet moment, we invite you to stop by.

📖 Take a book. Leave a book. Share a story.

At Life Forest, we believe a place of remembrance can also be a place of discovery, community, and new beginnings. 💚

Have you visited our Little Free Library yet? Tell us what you're reading! 📚

#LifeForest #LittleFreeLibrary #TakeABookLeaveABook #HillsboroughNH #NewHampshire by @lifeforest

CREMATION MONTH SPOTLIGHT: TOUCH WOOD MEMORIAL RINGS

What if your memorial jewelry could combine cremated remains with the natural beauty of wood?

In British Columbia, Canada, David and Nicola Finch are the people behind Touch Wood Memorial Rings, creating handcrafted memorial jewelry inspired by nature and historic mourning traditions.

David is a pioneer of the bentwood ring, a technique that allows him to create wooden rings using carefully shaped layers of wood.

Their memorial collection includes rings, pendants, and talismans that incorporate a small portion of cremated remains from people or companion animals.

Families can help personalize their designs by selecting meaningful wood species, colors, and other small keepsakes.

Perhaps a particular tree reminds you of someone you love. Maybe it was a forest where you walked together or a favorite place outdoors.

These connections can become part of a wearable memorial.

For those who feel connected to trees, forests, and the natural world, this is another interesting way to approach cremation memorialization.

Explore Touch Wood Memorial Rings:
https://www.memorialrings.ca/

Follow Life Forest throughout Cremation Month as we continue exploring creative and meaningful options for cremated remains.

#LifeForest #CremationMonth #TouchWoodMemorialRings #MemorialJewelry #WoodenRings by @lifeforest

CREMATION MONTH SPOTLIGHT: TERRAPIN GLASS

What if a small portion of your loved one's cremated remains could become a beautiful piece of glass art?

Located in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, Terrapin Glassblowing Studio has been creating memorial glass since 2009, carefully incorporating cremated remains from both people and pets into handcrafted keepsakes.

Their creations include:

- Glass hearts and paperweights
- Memorial jewelry and pendants
- Hummingbirds, cardinals, dragonflies, and other glass figures
- Suncatchers and ornaments
- Touchstones and memorial marbles

Each piece is individually crafted, and only about a teaspoon of cremated remains is needed per memorial.

Whether displayed in your home, worn as jewelry, or held during a moment of remembrance, these creations offer a personal way to keep someone close.

At Life Forest, we believe families deserve to know ALL their options for cremated remains, including combining a meaningful keepsake with a permanent resting place.

Explore Terrapin Glass: @terrapinglass
https://terrapinglass.com/memorials/

#LifeForest #CremationMonth #TerrapinGlass #MemorialGlass #CremationKeepsakes by @lifeforest

Cremation Memorial Week at Life Forest 🌳

Cremated remains don't have to stay tucked away in an urn or on a shelf. There are many meaningful and creative ways to honor someone you love.

Throughout this week, leading up to National Cremation Placement Day on October 17, Life Forest will be highlighting trusted artists and businesses that specialize in working with cremated remains.

From beautiful glass memorial art and keepsake jewelry to memorial rings and unique creations you may have never considered, we'll introduce you to options for keeping a loved one's memory close.

Whether you're looking for something to hold onto or a permanent place to lay someone to rest, we believe families deserve to know what's available.

Stay tuned this week as we share some of our favorites!

#LifeForest #NationalCremationPlacementDay #CremationMemorials #MemorialArt #CremationJewelry RememberingLovedOnes by @lifeforest

So you wanna be a Tree? 🌳 LIFE FOREST Conservation Cemetery HILLSBOROUGH, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Some cemeteries are places you feel obligated to visit. Life Forest is a place you'll WANT to visit.

Established in 2019 by cofounders Mel Bennett and John O'Neil, Life Forest began with a daughter's wish to give her mother, Elise, a final resting place as a flowering dogwood tree. That dogwood was the first memorial tree planted here.

Today, Life Forest is a pioneering conservation cemetery for cremated remains and a Level I accredited public arboretum.

Its 13 acres border Old Mill Farm and more than 80 acres of town protected conservation land, with woodland trails and plenty of places to wander.

Here, living trees serve as memorial markers. Families can choose from dogwoods, cherry trees, crabapples, junipers, arborvitae, and flowering lilacs or hydrangeas, depending on the site. There are flowering shrubs throughout and a pollinator garden helping support local wildlife.

One detail I especially appreciate: Life Forest developed its own GPS based grave mapping system. Families receive a Certificate of Interment Rights, and the burial coordinates and rights are recorded with the property's land deed. The cemetery owns the land; families hold documented, legally protected burial and access rights. That's an important distinction!

There's a pergola for services, a Phone of the Wind, a Little Free Library, a walking stick library, and a massive glacial boulder that looks like it was made for meditation.

So many cremated remains spend years on a shelf at home, without a permanent resting place. Life Forest offers conservation burial somewhere beautiful, protected, and genuinely worth coming back to.

And of all the ways people talk about "becoming a tree," this is the one I believe in. Or a bush! 🌸

#LifeForest #ConservationBurial #Cremation #GreenCemetery #NewHampshire #TheModernMortician @lifeforest by @lifeforest

It is Wagging Wednesday!!

BB is an 8 year old Bengal cat. He is one of several 3-legged pets that are cared for by Michelle & Chelsea, the owners & stewards of Life Forest Whistle Ridge. When he was born, his umbilical cord was tightly wrapped around one of his hind legs. Due to the constriction, he lost the lower part of his leg a few days later.

Being 3-legged certainly never slows BB down in any way! He likes to pester his feline sisters and his retrieving skills are better than most dogs! He splashes around in the water bowl and often drops a toy in it for added entertainment.

BB and his sister Phasma arrived when they were 8 weeks of age. They were mentored by their “big brother” Tundra, who taught them how to make the most of their wild roots.

Even though BB sports a gorgeous
spotted coat, he is always cold! He loves to snuggle into Michelle’s lap, especially when he has a nice fleece blanket.

After his human slaves have gone to bed (the only cat-free room in the house) BB paces the house and cries pitifully, all while carrying a toy in his mouth.

He is the King of the castle around here, and he never misses an opportunity to remind us! by @lifeforest

Cremation answers one question:

What happens to the body?

But it doesn’t always answer the next one:

What happens to the cremated remains?

Some families know immediately. They may scatter them, bury them, place them in a cemetery, or keep them at home.

Other families simply aren’t sure.

An urn may sit on a mantle or shelf for years while everyone assumes there will eventually be a plan. Sometimes it is passed from one generation to the next.

There is nothing wrong with keeping cremated remains at home if that is what a family wants.

National Cremation Placement Day is about making sure families also know they have other choices.

At Life Forest, we believe families deserve time, information, and options when deciding what feels right.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be sharing some of the different ways cremated remains can be permanently memorialized, including some you may not have heard of before.

National Cremation Placement Day is October 17

#nationalcremationplacementday #cremation #conservationburial #lifeforestcemetery by @lifeforest

Something new is happening in death care this October.

October 17, 2026 will mark the very first National Cremation Placement Day.

Cremation may be the method we choose for a body after death, but it doesn't always answer the next question, "What happens to the cremated remains?"

For some families, keeping an urn at home is exactly what they want. For others, months become years. An urn gets moved from a mantle to a cabinet, handed from one family member to another, or left behind without anyone really knowing what the person wanted, not because anyone stopped caring. Sometimes nobody ever explained the options.

National Cremation Placement Day was created to start that conversation, without pressure and without judgment.

Over the next two weeks, we're going to talk about cremated remains, permanent placement, memorialization, conservation burial, and some of the choices families may not even know exist.

Cremation doesn't have to be the end of the conversation, sometimes it's only the beginning of deciding where someone's story will live. <3

#nationalcremationplacementday #lifeforestcemetery by @lifeforest