Young sapling rising from a gentle mound of earth at dawn, dew clinging to first leaves, older trees blurred in the background of a memorial grove

Tree Pod Burial · Est. 2021

They don'trest here.They grow.

Canopy returns the body to the earth inside a biodegradable pod — roots winding through what was once a person, lifting them skyward as oak, maple, or birch.

Choose a Tree
Snow-dusted pine tree standing in a quiet winter clearing, soft light filtering through branches heavy with fresh snow, the ground undisturbed around the base
Winter · Eastern White Pine
"He always said he wanted to be useful after he was gone. Now the birds come to him every morning."

Margaret Hollis chose the Eastern White Pine for her father Raymond, a retired forester from Vermont who spent 40 years reading tree rings and listening to wind. He died in January, which she found fitting. He's in the ground now, in the woods he walked for decades. The pine is three years old. It already has his patience.

Margaret Hollis

Montpelier, Vermont

The Process

A return that takes
about a year to complete.

Weeks 1–4

The body rests inside the Capsula Mundi pod, a fully organic cocoon of compressed starch. No embalming, no casket — just the body and the earth.

Months 2–6

Microbial communities begin their quiet work. The pod softens. Nutrients move outward into the soil, feeding the sapling planted directly above.

Month 8–14

Roots reach down, winding through what was once a person. The tree is no longer a symbol. It is a continuation.

Find their tree

Browse by climate, meaning,
and growth rate.

Choose a Tree
Autumn copper beech tree in full russet and amber foliage, leaves catching afternoon light, a wide trunk visible against a softly blurred forest background
Autumn · Copper Beech
"We planted it on her birthday in October. She would have loved that the whole forest turned the color of her hair."

Daniel and Priya Okonkwo planned Priya's mother's Canopy burial two years before she died. She was a hospice nurse herself — she'd held the hands of hundreds of people at the threshold. When her own time came, she knew exactly what she wanted. The copper beech was her choice. She said she liked that beeches hold their leaves through winter, letting go slowly.

Daniel & Priya Okonkwo

Asheville, North Carolina

Species Selection

Every tree is chosen
for someone specific.

We match families with species based on the climate of their memorial site, the growth rate they want to witness, and sometimes something quieter — the way a person moved through the world.

White Oak

Slow, ancient, enduring

Sugar Maple

Four seasons of colour

River Birch

Peeling bark, near water

Wild Cherry

Blossoms each spring

Tulip Poplar

Grows fast, stands tall

Bur Oak

Drought-resistant, prairie

Find their tree

Browse by climate, meaning,
and growth rate.

Choose a Tree
Wild cherry tree in full spring bloom, white blossoms covering every branch against a pale blue sky, petals beginning to drift downward in soft wind
Spring · Wild Cherry
"She was the kind of person who made everything bloom. It turns out she still is."

Tom and Elise Nakamura were married for 51 years before Elise died the spring she turned 78. Tom planted a wild cherry in a meadow outside Portland, in a memorial grove that now holds six trees. He visits in April when the blossoms come. He brings a thermos of the tea she liked. He says it's the most natural thing he's ever done.

Tom Nakamura

Portland, Oregon

Wide aerial view of an entire memorial forest with dozens of trees at different heights and seasons, canopy stretching in all directions

Canopy Memorial Forest · Vermont, USA

Every tree here
is someone's person.

This forest has 47 trees. Each one was planted for someone who wanted to leave something living — something their grandchildren could sit beneath and know.

47
Trees growing
12
Species planted
6
States served
Begin Planning Together

No obligation. No timeline. Just a conversation.

When you're ready

A forest is waiting
to carry someone you love.

There's no timeline. No pressure. Just a conversation about who they were and what they might become.

Begin Planning Together