Consulting Services for 
Green Burial and Conservation Burial Grounds

Getting Started

Since 2006, LANDMATTERS has researched and explored models of green burial, from natural cemeteries to conservation burial grounds. We advise private individuals, community members, nonprofits and land trusts, on the design of conservation projects that preserve a region’s rural character, ensure healthy wildlife corridors, protect important streams and waterways, and ultimately, provide their communities with an enduring space for rest and regeneration.

Land trusts own land and understand the potential for certain properties to help support the organization’s mission through complementary revenue generating uses. Conservation burial grounds can develop revenue to support land trust operations, stewardship of land and the acquisition of additional conservation lands.

​We support land trusts developing conservation burial ground projects and enable them to stay on mission.  
We Can Help
​We offer consulting specific to conservation burial grounds. This can be anything from:
  • Site evaluations and feasibility studies 
  • Land acquisition and fundraising strategies
  • Project implementation strategies 
  • Budgetary considerations for operations and management 
  • Design guidelines that emphasize a property's indigenous features
  • Conservation burial standards and best practices 
  • Facilitation of ​conversations among land trust staff, board members and community members

Menu of Services  ​

We are working with land trusts developing these projects. We design our services around your needs. Packages of services include:
  • Conservation Burial Presentation: a synopsis powerpoint with visuals to provide basic factual information, goals and relevance of a conservation burial ground  
  • Conservation Burial Review: an analysis of conservation burial project types   
  • Conservation Burial Concept Paper: a 1-2 page description of a potential conservation burial project and how it may be relevant to a land trust or other conservation organization 
  • Burial Ground Concept Map: a schematic design of a conservation burial project as part of a nature preserve                                    
  • Financial Projections: conceptual revenue projections for decision-making purposes   
  • Potential Revenue and Expenses Spreadsheet: in depth financial projection analysis, including the costs of building and operating a conservation burial ground 
  • Start Up Project Budget: planning budget for a turnkey conservation burial ground  
  • Land Trust and Conservation Burial Ground Checklist: an assessment tool for land trusts' decision making purposes 
Kokosing Nature Preserve, Gambier, Ohio
If you or a land trust you know is working on a green burial or conservation burial project, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch.
Top photo: Conservation Natural Area, Chatham County, New York
Bottom: Conservation Land, Orange County, North Carolina