Vermont Forest Cemetery offers burial alternative

ROXBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – One Vermont cemetery is helping grieving loved ones find growth beyond the grave.

Vermont Forest Cemetery in Roxbury is the state’s first fully natural burial business.

Families carry their loved ones to the grave and bury them by hand in biodegradable containers, or shrouds made of natural materials. That allows for natural decomposition which leaves a smaller impact on the earth.

Since opening last October, 21 people have come to rest at VFC, including Brian Trombley’s partner Sean.

When Sean died unexpectedly this summer, Trombley’s search for the right cemetery ended at VFC.

“I said, ‘Oh, my God, Sean would love this,’” said Trombley.

Trombley and Sean’s sister went to visit the 56 acres of forest in Roxbury, where deep into the woods, they found a massive white spruce tree surrounded by beech and birch.

“We both walked into that clearing, and we looked at each other and said, ‘This is where Sean needs to be,’” said Trombley.

VFC founder Michelle Hogle Acciavatti says many find peace in the process.

“Grief is an emotion that demands action. This is something where people can come and just work through some of these feelings and do something that’s really in service of the person that’s died and what they wanted,” said Hogle Acciavatti.

In a state where over 70% of residents choose cremation, natural burials go against the grain.

However, some trailblazers want to decompose naturally without environmentally harmful materials and become part of the forest. One mother told Hogle Acciavatti that made her child’s death feel less like a goodbye.

“Here she is, it’s an ending burying her child, and she said instead it felt like something new was beginning here,” said Hogle Acciavatti.

Among friends and family, Trombley laid Sean to rest this June.

One day, Trombley says he and their dog will join Sean beneath the spruce tree.

“He would have been so, so happy. And I’m really happy that I know where I’m going to go when the time comes. It’s an amazing place,” he said.

Hogle Acciavatti says the cemetery community has been instrumental in fundraising and helping to build out roads and quadruple the number of trails, paving the way for even more plots.

VFC is currently traveling around the state showcasing a documentary featuring their work.

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