The Woodlands natural burial interment zone occupies approximately 1/3 of an acre in the northwest section of Royal Oak Burial Park. There are 255 graves located within the Woodlands and the graves can be used for casket and cremated remains interment. Scattering of cremation ashes can also be accommodated in the Woodlands.
NATURAL BURIAL
Natural burial (also referred to as green burial) is viewed as a statement of personal values for those who seek to minimize their impact on the local and global environment. For people who are mindful of the cyclical nature of life, natural burial is a spiritually fulfilling alternative to cremation or conventional burial.
Natural burial is an interment practice where human remains are returned to the earth to decompose naturally and contribute to new life. Human remains are prepared for natural burial without embalming and are buried in a fully biodegradable casket or alternative container. No form of grave liner is used for Woodlands burial.
Following a burial, planting of indigenous groundcover, shrubs and tress will be made on graves. These plantings become living memorials for all those interred in the area. A natural burial area, as a living memorial is a place where individual graves become part of a natural landscape and the entire area becomes a part of the larger, local eco-system. Traditional stone or bronze memorial markers are not placed on natural burial graves.
The modern natural / green burial movement got its start in Great Britain in the mid 1990’s. At that time natural burial represented a small percentage of final dispositions. Today this form of burial represents approximately 12% of all dispositions in Great Britain.
ROYAL OAK BURIAL PARK
We are a B.C.’s largest community owned, not for profit cemetery which was founded in 1922 by the City of Victoria and the District of Saanich. The Burial Park is operated by the Board of Cemetery Trustees of Greater Victoria, comprises 54 hectares of land and employs 16 full time grounds workers and 4 administrative staff.