A Memorial Forest for the green burial of Cremated remains

We encourage you to visit your loved one as often as you like! Because THE HAVEN is a protected and private Memorial Forest, visitation is by appointment only. Please call or email to arrange your visit.

Yes, burial rights for trees, forest glade plots, and the cremation garden can be purchased on a pre-need basis.

At this time, the only pre-need items we sell are the burial rights for trees, forest glade plots, or the cremation garden. Customers can only pay for a memorial service when one is scheduled and/or a marker when one is ordered. This practice complies with consumer protection rules.

Yes, this is a cost-effective solution. Once you purchase the original, single burial right for a tree, you can add extra burial rights for up to 3 family members or pets at any time. You can also choose to purchase multiple trees in close proximity if you desire your own family grove.

If you purchase burial rights in a forest glade plot, you can add one additional family member or pet. 

If you purchase burial rights in the cremation garden, this is a communal option, which means the ash is mixed with a special soil amendment and then commingled in the garden.

No. Our team can take care of the burial with care and reverence and email photos afterwards. The unattended ash burial option is $100.

THE HAVEN is pursuing a perpetual forest conservation easement with the State of Minnesota that will extend permanent protection throughout the entire surrounding 146 acre parcel. This is a legal deed restriction and ensures the property can never be developed, and the forest will remain a forest forever. This commitment underpins all activities and decisions regarding the care, preservation, and enhancement of THE HAVEN, ensuring that it remains a place of natural beauty, serenity, and ecological integrity. 

THE HAVEN customers are granted an irrevocable license to access their tree, forest glade plot, or the cremation garden so they and their loved ones can always visit. Further, 2% of the burial rights purchase price shall be deposited in THE HAVEN's Forest Stewardship Fund and devoted to the forest's perpetual care and maintenance.

There are a variety of options. You can bring them with you if you choose a memorial service. Or, if you choose an unattended ash burial where our team takes care of the burial, you can either mail the ashes to our team or drop them off with your funeral home professional.

All of our cremation burial sites are accurately plotted and tracked. Upon purchase, you will be given the GPS coordinates to the site. These GPS Coordinates are also listed on our website’s Registry. When a tree or forest glade plot is purchased, you also have the option to purchase a small Memorial Marker that can be anchored in the ground. Each tree is also marked with a numbered aluminum tree tag. 

No problem. Cremated ashes remain stable for many years and, once mixed with our soil amendment, can be safely buried at THE HAVEN.

Cremated remains contain extremely high pH (approximately 11.8 - whereas healthy soil pH ranges from 5-8) and sodium levels up to 2,000 times higher than what’s considered good for most plants. Because of this high pH and sodium level, plant roots will actively avoid this contaminated area, opting for more chemically balanced soil.

In order to completely break down the calcium, phosphate, and sodium in the cremated remains, supplemental enzymes must be incorporated into them to correct imbalances and nourish plant life. This organic mixture, developed by a former funeral director and his research team of forensic anthropologists, taphonomists, and entomologists, biologists, and other scientists over several years, has been scientifically proven to foster healthy plant life by lowering the pH and diluting the sodium in testing by independent labs.

Committed to long-term forest health, THE HAVEN uses this organic mixture to offset the high pH and salinity of ash and unlock its potential to nurture new life so the ash truly becomes one with the forest. 

No, the composition of human ash has a high pH and salinity level which makes them extremely unhealthy for scattering on plants. Further, human ashes don’t decompose or dissolve in water. Even if the ash was mixed with a soil additive to make the ash bioavailable to plants and trees, if left unburied and simply scattered, the mixture would separate after a rainfall, negating the helpful effects of the additive.

We carefully manage our forests to keep them healthy, so we only allow burial after the ash has been mixed with a science-backed, organic soil amendment. Thus buried, the ash and soil amendment won't separate, and the enzymes in the soil amendment have time to fully do their work and allow the ash to truly become part of the forest forever. For more information, see the FAQ above: Why do ashes have to be mixed with special soil before burial?

No. THE HAVEN Memorial Forest is for ash burial only.

No. THE HAVEN is a natural forest not a cemetery, therefore we do not allow man-made objects of any kind to be buried.

You’re welcome to leave cut flowers, but please make sure that you remove the cellophane or any other non-biodegradable items first. You should not leave trinkets or any man-made items as THE HAVEN is a natural forest ecosystem, not a traditional cemetery. We reserve the right to remove any decorative items placed on or around a grave.

Yes. You can bury ashes for as many people or pets as you have purchased rights for.

No, THE HAVEN is open to all people, regardless of religion or where they live.

We book burials into two-hour time slots with staff on site. However, you can choose to remain in the forest after our staff departs as long as it doesn’t impact another planned service.

When the ground is not frozen. In a typical year this is mid-April to early November.

Every family has a different vision for their ceremony. Some prefer a small and intimate gathering. Others want to invite as many as they can to experience such a unique farewell. Give us a call, and we’ll try to accommodate your vision.

We will generally go ahead with all planned interments except in the event of extreme weather. But we will communicate with your family directly. 

Purchasing burial rights is not like buying land, although there are similarities. When you buy burial rights, you don’t own land; you own the right to be buried (interred) in that spot. For this reason, it is referred to as an interment right.

This beautiful and complex ecosystem is a privately owned forest, located within the Paul Bunyan State Forest. Bordered by Birch Creek, the property consists of rolling hills and native oak, red pine, white pine, jack pine, aspen, birch, white spruce, and balsam fir to create a living sanctuary that supports the birds, bees, waterfowl, and all sorts of animals that make this forest their home. 

Itasca State Park (home to the Mississippi River Headwaters) lie a few miles to the west; while the Chippewa National Forest and other state forests and state parks are due east.

The establishment of a sawmill near Akeley by the Red River Lumber Company in 1898 led to devastating logging of the old-growth red pine and eastern white pine which covered the land in the early twentieth century. By 1908, there were eight to ten logging camps in the area, which led to the construction of a railroad which extended to Lake Alice Township and further logging, which ceased in 1915 when the Red River Lumber Company moved to California. By then, most of Minnesota’s old growth forests had been decimated.

Somehow, five massive white pine trees on our property were spared. These lie deeper in the forest off THE HAVEN’s established trail system. We speculate their survival was due to the surveyor's error, but we’ll never know. We’re just very grateful! These old growth mother trees take two people to wrap their arms around and are truly a joy and wonder to be around.

Our founders, David and Misty Dietz, have been responsible forest stewards since 2014. Together with professional foresters, they don’t practice walk-away forestry. They own and manage nearly 630  acres of Minnesota timberlands and have planted more than 35,000 trees since they purchased their first property.

They believe designating your final resting place in a living forest is an important way to sustainably protect forests from development and are delighted to share this special sanctuary with others.

THE HAVEN currently offers nine native tree species for ash burial: northern red oak, red pine, white pine, white spruce, paper birch, river birch, balsam fir, quaking aspen, and jack pine.

Fifty-two species of mammals and more than 170 species of birds make seasonal or year-round homes in nearby Itasca State Park, which is only 4 miles as the crow flies and 7.7 driving miles away. Some familiar species include owls, eagles, pileated woodpeckers, Northern flying squirrel, porcupines, white-tail deer, chickadees, raccoons, nuthatches, foxes, snowshoe hares, ruffed grouse, trumpeter swans, black bears, coyotes, and Timberwolves.

You have 90 days from the date you purchase burial right(s) for a tree, forest glade plot, or the cremation garden to change your mind and get 100% of your money back as long as the ash burial has not been completed. After ash burial, all purchases are non-refundable.

Custom memorial markers are also nonrefundable. 

You have 180 days from the date you purchase tree burial right(s) to choose a different tree as long as the ash burial has not been completed. If the tree you choose costs more than your original tree, you simply pay the difference. If the tree you choose costs less than your original tree, you will be refunded the difference.

For pre-need customers, we offer 6-month and 12-month installment plans. Whichever plan you choose, the total amount will be divided by that number of months. All outstanding balances must be paid in full before the burial.

Yes, THE HAVEN accommodates parking. The parking area and paths are maintained spring, summer, and fall.

Dogs are allowed on site, but please keep them on a leash and be sure to clean up after them. We have no trash receptacles in the forest so you will need to take all waste with you when you leave.

We are unable to provide toilet facilities at this time. The Woodland Store in nearby Lake George is 3 ½ miles from THE HAVEN at the intersection of State Hwy 71 and Hubbard County Road 4. This is a full-service convenience store offering gas, diesel, sandwiches, snacks, beverages, restrooms, and more.

Death is a natural part of any ecosystem. If your tree dies before any ashes are buried, you can transfer to another tree free of charge. If your tree dies after ashes have been buried, your plot, marked by GPS coordinates, remain yours as well as any memorial marker(s) purchased. The beauty of dead trees is that they continue to fuel new life, releasing all sorts of resources and making room for new and different plants to grow. As a tree decomposes, nutrients once stored within the tree are released and made available to plants that were once its competitors. Our foresters may opt to leave the dead tree in place to support wildlife and extend its ecological benefits, or they may decide it’s more beneficial to remove it if it obstructs a walking path, or other reasons.