Ashes to ashes — to roots of trees

East Kildonan

Winnipeg

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This article was published 30/10/2024 (374 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Death comes for everyone, in time.

While that may be a difficult concept or conversation to have, it’s one Taras Luchak hopes people will have sooner than later.

“It’s a topic most of us don’t address,” the East Kildonan resident said. “That’s one of the first hurdles to getting people to think about this concept. But I went through that process and wasn’t comfortable being thrown in the ground in a coffin with a bunch of chemicals.”

Luchak is the chair of Memorial Woodland of Manitoba, a non-profit dedicated to providing Manitobans with a greener burial option. His journey to founding the organization began when he started to make preparations for his own eventual passing over a decade ago.

“I approached various funeral homes to see if I could just be put in the ground with a tree planted over me,” Luchak said. “But not a single commercial cemetery would even consider it.”

While green burial is a concept that is gaining more and more acceptance around the world, the options remain limited in Manitoba. Luchak notes that Memorial Woodland is not offering a traditional green burial, but rather a “greener” option for those who wish to deposit cremated ashes in a permanent, natural resting place.

“I wasn’t too keen on the ‘true burial’ concept, where you’re dropped into the ground with no marker or memorial,” Luchak explained. “I have an ego, I wanted some kind of legacy. So I came up with this concept that is a forest that doesn’t look like a cemetery, but with markers.”

Now, with an 18-acre parcel of land conditionally acquired for the venture in the R.M. of Brokenhead, just outside of Tyndall, Man. — a 30-minute drive from the north Perimeter — Luchak and the directors of Memorial Woodland are in the process of ensuring that the project is, indeed, sustainable. Between now and May 1, 2025, the board hopes to find 100 people who will pay a $1,000 deposit toward the $3,700 total cost of having one’s ashes interred amidst the roots of a newly planted tree on site.

“We need to know with some certainty that people will participate. Then we’ll be in the position to build it,” Luchak said. “We’ve had a zillion people say great idea, but now that it’s time to put some cash down, it’s a little harder.”

If the project is a go, Luchak envisions a park-like setting which would not only be a memorial for families to visit, but an amenity for the community in general.

“We’re working with an arborist, and we want to limit it to trees with a good chance of surviving in Manitoba,” Luchak said, adding that about 20 varieties of trees are available to choose from. “We want the look to be something of a cross between a city park and a tall-grass prairie ecosystem, a forest with open areas. People will be able to use the pathways, which may tie into the Trans-Canada trail.”

As a charitable not-for-profit, Memorial Woodland of Manitoba is also accepting any donations towards realizing its goal. Visit memorialwoodland.ca for more information.