NORTH KINGSVILLE —  A natural alternative to traditional burial practices, using trees as monuments and a decades-old forest as the cemetery, will be available soon in Ashtabula County.

Several trees within a quiet, secluded woods a few steps from Lake Erie in North Kingsville have been selected to serve as EcoEternity’s Forest first foray into northern Ohio. The land is part of Camp Luther, a part of Lutheran Outdoor Ministries.

The forest, located near the intersection of Poore and Lake roads near the camp entrance, will be consecrated during a special service on Thursday.

EcoEternity Forest, based in White Stone, Va., was founded in 2006 by Jack Lowe and Axel Baudach. It is based on a concept that began in Switzerland, in which the business and landowner partner to create a resting place unlike any other.

Groups, families or individuals lease a tree within the EcoEternity layout, and their ashes are buried — not spread — beneath its branches. Depending on the plan selected, large or small groups can share the same tree.

“It provides a low-cost alternative (to conventional burial),” said Corey Wagonfield, Camp Luther director.

Churches in the area have already expressed interest in the concept, he said. “Some local congregations will be looking,” he said.

EcoEternity and Lutheran Outdoor Ministries announced a contract at the start of the month. “It’s a 50-50 partnership,” Wagonfield said.

Interment in the forest, however, is open to everyone, Wagonfield said.

Each selected tree will be tagged for quick identification for generations to come. Also, plaques may be attached to the tree bearing the names of the interred and a personal message.

The Camp Luther site contains 32 trees personally selected by Lowe and an arborist for their durability, age and species, Wagonfield said. If demand warrants, additional acreage is available to expand the memorial forest, he said.

The past couple of weeks, camp workers have been busy clearing paths through the forest in time for the Thursday ceremony. An information board will mark the entrance, located off Poore Road.

The Camp Luther forest, with its blend of old-growth trees and proximity to Lake Erie, is exactly what EcoEternity is looking for, Lowe said during a telephone interview from Virginia.

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “We’re always looking for beautiful old trees and these are well over 100 years old. It’s something really nice and special.”

The site is EcoEternity’s second in Ohio — there’s one in Fulton — and seventh in the country. Other forests can be found in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.

Lowe said he was contacted by Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of Ohio about an EcoEternity site at one of three camps. Camp Luther proved to be a winner.

“It’s the combined beauty of the lake and forest,” he said.

The concept has special appeal to naturalists and environmentalists, Lowe said. No flowers, markers or headstones are permitted and the arrangement between landowner and EcoEternity “actively assists forest conservation and avoid clear-cutting or development for 99 years,” according to a statement from the company.

In keeping with the ecology message, people are encouraged to walk through the forest.

The interred ashes actually benefit the tree that shades the site. “The nutrients from the ashes are picked up by the tree, and so it becomes a living memorial,” Lowe said.

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