The following article touches on information that comes from the fourth module of the online Green Burial Masterclass for natural burial cemetery operators regarding major issues in ecological documentation.
Module 4: Ecological Documentation
Dr. Billy Campbell and Kimberly Campbell, founders of Ramsey Creek Preserve, are the pioneers in ecological documentation for natural burial cemeteries. They generously share their experience, studies, plans and expertise in this field for cemetery managers who are designing burial spaces that are more than warehouses for the dead under manicured lawns. Rather, as Holly Blue states, “natural or green cemeteries are an appropriate means for returning our dead in a truly scared manner by giving them back as food for the environment.”
Types of eco-documentation:
Natural Resources Inventories map the existing conditions and presence of resources such as soils, waterways, plants, man-made structures and include overlay maps showing elevation and physical characteristics.
Ecological assessments focus on understanding the ecosystems that exist in the cemetery and how they interact with one another.
Forest Management Plans involve the steps toward long-term forest management goals if the cemetery is wooded. Restoration plans, fire protection, water quality, wildlife corridors, trails, access points and more are included in these plans that state certified foresters can conduct, prepare, and monitor.
Integrative Pest Management Plans help assess insect, wildlife, plant diseases and disturbances. They identify and implement the least hazardous control methods and implement prevention techniques.
Documentation of this sort helps to describe the status of the land’s overall health and wellness over time. Sharing the story of a cemetery’s environmental restoration is a great way to increase interest among wildlife enthusiasts, attract volunteers for controlling invasives or building new trails, and perhaps qualify the cemetery for research programs and grants.
Holly Blue states that “the soil is like the gut microbiome of the biosphere. We as natural deathcare practitioners have the capacity to deliver our dead back into that macro-microbiome as probiotic capsules to heal our ecosystem.