Tree Burial

An eco-friendly funeral culture in which cremated remains are buried around tree roots and returned to nature, an alternative funeral method following interment and enshrinement.

Tree Burial

Overview

Tree burial (樹木葬, sumokjang) is an eco-friendly funeral method in which cremated remains are buried around the roots of trees or in designated soil, and trees or shrubs are planted over them to commemorate the deceased. Unlike traditional interment or placement in a charnel house (bongandang), its key characteristic is that it returns to nature without leaving behind a separate gravestone or enshrinement facility. In Korea, it spread rapidly after the 2000s as changes in funeral culture dovetailed with the problem of land shortage. As the cremation rate surpassed 90% as of 2024, it established itself as a representative alternative funeral method.

Main Content

Definition and Concept

Tree burial is used in two main senses. First, in the narrow sense, it refers to burying the remains directly beneath a tree and making that tree the object of remembrance. Second, in the broad sense, it refers to natural burial (自然葬), a concept encompassing tree burial, flower burial, and lawn burial. The Act on Funeral Services, Etc. defines natural burial as "a method of funeral service in which the cremated remains of a body are buried under or around trees, flowers, grass, and the like."

Types

  • Tree-type natural burial: The most typical form, in which bone ash is buried around tree roots.
  • Flower-type natural burial: A method of burying bone ash beneath flowers or a flower garden.
  • Lawn-type natural burial: A method of interment beneath a lawn, often established in the form of a wide grassy plaza.
  • Tree burial forest (sumokjangnim): A forest-type funeral facility established by the Korea Forest Service, which uses existing natural forests and designates trees as memorial trees without a separate enshrinement facility.

Procedure

It generally proceeds in the order of prior consultation and contract, cremation, pulverization of the bone ash (the process of grinding it into fine powder), interment in a designated tree or lawn area, and designation of a memorial tree. After interment, location information is managed electronically, and bereaved families can locate the deceased through a tag or sign attached to the memorial tree. Some facilities also provide a service that records GPS coordinates so the location can be checked on a smartphone.

Legal Basis

In Korea, natural burial is governed by the Act on Funeral Services, Etc. and the Act on Forest Culture and Recreation. Natural burial sites must be established with permission from the mayor or provincial governor, and the Korea Forest Service manages funeral facilities that use national forests through its "Guidelines for the Creation and Operation of Tree Burial Forests." With the 2008 amendment of the law, natural burial was legislated, laying the institutional foundation.

Advantages and Challenges

Tree burial has the advantages of greatly reducing cemetery area, conserving forests, lowering management costs, and alleviating the problem of saturation of enshrinement facilities. On the other hand, it is pointed out that it conflicts with traditional grave-visiting culture and that its sense of place for remembrance is weak. There are also continuing calls for a unified standard, as interment methods and management criteria differ by facility.

Latest Trends

As of 2024–2025, Korea's funeral market is being reorganized around natural burial. The government and local governments are expanding the creation of tree burial forests within national forests and public cemeteries, and the Korea Forest Service is pursuing a policy to increase "living-zone tree burial forests" to improve accessibility. In the private sector, "smart memorial services" combining tree burial with digital remembrance have emerged, and ways of remembering the deceased through QR codes or online memorial halls are spreading. In addition, as the value of tree burial forests as carbon sinks is being reexamined in the context of responding to the climate crisis, corporate tree burial linked to ESG management is also on the rise. However, securing both the sustainable management of natural burial sites and the emotional satisfaction of bereaved families is cited as a key task for the future.

Related Topics

  • [[Natural Burial]]
  • [[Cremation]]
  • [[Funeral Culture]]
  • [[Korea Forest Service]]
  • [[Well-Dying]]