Point Arena Forest

How to choose a Better Place Forests memorial

Learn about Better Place Forests sustainable Memorial Forest and find your perfect tree

Are you interested in learning about Better Place Forests for your family but don’t really know where to start?

That’s alright! We’ve created this short article to help you understand the key considerations you need to make for your family memorial.

What exactly is a Better Place Forests memorial?

And that’s a great question! When you reserve a tree with Better Place Forests, you are reserving a tree exclusively for you and your family that you can spread your ashes around.

Our Memorial Forest is a is a landscaped conservation area with pathways, benches and trees reserved exclusively for families to spread ashes around.

There is an engraved memorial marker placed in front of each family’s tree. Our forest is privately owned, landscaped, and maintained.

The forest has parking, washrooms, pathways, benches and guides to find your tree. It’s our goal to create an exceptional visitor experience.

Where is the forest?

Our first forest is located in Point Arena, Mendocino and we’re planning on additional forests soon.

This flagship forest is a coastal redwood forest with a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean.

Once we add additional forests you can always change your reservation to any other forest without any additional cost.

How much does a tree memorial cost?

Our prices range from $625 for a shared spreading area in a less accessible part of the forest to $16,000 to a large redwood for your entire family located directly on one of our primary pathways.

(Our most common choice is a Private, Pathway Tree which is $4,000 for a pine, fir or tanoak and $6,000 for a redwood. Private Trees means is a great choice for you and your spouse and your kids can also decide.)

A Better Place Forests Memorial offers you personal choice. You may include just yourself or your entire family. You may also include your pets!

There are several questions you can ask yourself now to best understand your options. They are:

Who would you like to reserve a tree for?

Just yourself?

Then your best option is a Community or Private tree. Your selection depends on if you want a shared spreading area (similar to a spreading garden in a cemetery) or a tree exclusively reserved for you.

You and your spouse?

Usually these customers choose a Private Tree which includes a dedicated tree with 2 spreading rights. You can always add spreading rights as your family grows. Also, you can also have your pets’ ashes scattered here too!

Your whole family?

A Family Tree is the one for you. Family Trees are larger than Private Trees and include 6 spreading rights. And again, you can always keep adding spreading rights for additional family members (including pets) as needed.

How accessible would you like your tree to be?

We currently have 3 categories that define accessibility – Wilderness, Pathway and Premium Pathway.

An example of a Premium Pathway area – highly accessible wide path that we’ll flatten and cover with mulch.

Wilderness means the trees are located in uncleared areas of the forest that you shouldn’t expect to be accessible. This is usually chosen by people who like the idea of being away from any foot traffic and in the undisturbed solace of the forest.

Pathway means the trees are located on paths and walking trails. These are trees that you can walk up to and touch. You would choose a Pathway tree if you are expecting your tree to be a more traditional family memorial.

Premium Pathway means trees that are in highly accessible areas such as close to the entrance or directly on a landscaped pathway. You would choose a Premium Pathway area if you are concerned about mobility in visiting your tree or you want the most prominent locations in the forest.

“I think I know what I want…. but where do I go from here?”

Come visit us at the forest and choose your tree! (Or have us help you choose from one of our favorites without leaving your home…)

We are dedicated to helping you created the beautiful forest memorial that you deserve.

If you’re ready to speak with someone click here to book a time to discuss your needs with a Better Place Forests Guide.

Share this article

Explore available trees with a Guide

Find the tree that speaks to you by exploring trees online.

Couple and dog at Memorial Tree with Guide

Learn more about sustainable memorials

Enter your email to begin a short quiz to get personalized recommendations

See our Privacy Policy to learn how we use your information.