Oxfordshire Woodland Group

With the ever increasing pressure placed on graveyards to provide more spaces for the dearly departed it might make more sense to use woodland sites to scatter the last mortal remains of a loved one's ashes. This leaves no trace on the landscape nor disturbs the soil or damages roots by digging and what better than to plant a tree in the location of the scattering to provide a focal point where one can stop and share a quiet thought about past times and shared lives.

It is also possible to inter ashes in an authorised container however once buried these will require Home Office approval to exhume and relocate and of course this aproach runs the risk of malicious intervention or vandalism to any small markers or mementos placed on top of the burial spot.

Please make sure to ask the woodland owner for permission to scatter or bury ashes since return trips to the site will be likely be required and so having the formal agreement of the landowner to bury or scatter ashes is important especially recognising that landownership does change from time to time hence obtaining a grant of access in perpetuity in exchange for a small fee would appear to be both prudent and reasonable.

Direct woodland burials (i.e. coffin containing non cremated remains) is more difficult since this requires a much more formal and legally prescribed approach. Consult your funeral director for further advice.

If you would like to scatter the ashes of a departed family member in a woodland in Oxfordshire then please post a note here on the forum providing a preferred location for same so that Group members might be able to respond and help you with your request.

Chilterns