DRURY, Mass. - In the middle of this forest in the Berkshires there are names connected to a tree representing a person who has passed.

Better Place Forests provide families the space to bury the ashes of loved ones near, so they’ll always have a place to visit.

Their mission is two-fold to remember, but also to preserve the landscape. 

“We are protecting this land but also not taking up land with a bunch of tombstones and a lot more space instead you are going to be sitting at a beautiful tree in the middle of the forest,” Better Place Forests Berkshires and Litchfield Hills senior general manager, Chad Barnes, said.

The devastation caused by wildfires in the western U.S. is one reason to keep the beauty of nature alive, better place forests partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant more trees with each memorial in forests impacted by disasters.

“Having the ability to reforest a forest that, I myself have not really been to the west coast, so having that impact without being there I think is something that a lot of folks in New England are attracted to,” Better Place Forests Berkshires forest memorial specialist, Kalie Bushey, said.

Better Place Forests helps to mix a person’s ashes with the soil and then plants it at a tree of a family’s choosing with a special marker, people can then go and visit this tree and celebrate their memory.

“It’s a contribution to saving nature saving this planet personally I have a son Cole who is 21 years old and I want him to be able to live his life in an environment in a planet that’s taken care of and not destroyed,” Barnes said.

The company advertises its sustainable memorials as being less than half the price of a traditional cemetery burial, saying the cost of a resting place in one their forests averages around $8,500.