FLAGSTAFF, AZ — A forest in Flagstaff is allowing new ways for families and friends to remember their loved ones, and it is not just about the memories, it is about protecting the environment too.
Deep in the mountains of Flagstaff, just north of Snowbowl, an aspen tree carries the priceless memories of a family matriarch.
“She wanted us to be able to go to a place where we were going to be happy to be there, we were going to be feeling in communion with one another,” said Linda Kucera, the daughter of Carol.
Carol passed away two years ago at the age of 89. As a passionate geologist, Carol loved to take her family outdoors. She also deeply respected the native lands and the sacredness of the mountains.
That love of nature took Carol’s plans to the forest in Flagstaff at the end of her life, after she saw a mailer about Better Place Forests.
“We knew that she really… she had left this message for us, 'I want to be on the mountain, I want to be in the forest where people will come visit me,'” said Laura Carter, another daughter of Carol.
Better Place Forests allows families to release the ashes of their loved ones, including pets, into a dedicated tree within their property. The ashes are spread into the soil and at the base of the tree, forever intertwined with its growth.
“In our forest, the tree can really become the family tree, so you can have as many spreadings at a tree as you want over time,” said Susan Melcher, the general manager at Better Place Forests Flagstaff.
About 150 memorials are already in the forest. 600 families have also reserved trees, many from the Valley. Forest managers say it is a more natural and environmentally friendly way to honor a loved one.
“I feel when I go there that I have a sense of my mom’s memory and her effect in my life and in the world around me,” said Kucera.
For this family, it is a way to remember the mom who rooted them together for all these years and who still roots them together now.
