SUGAR CREEK TWP. – Jeff Roth, 66, walked the gravel path at Foxfield Preserve surrounded by nature.
Birds chirped. Sunshine broke through clouds in a blue sky. Wildflowers dotted a prairie, and trees towered in a forest.
Roth, of Harrison County, was among those on a tour of the conservation cemetery in southwest Stark County.
Foxfield Preserve was established nearly 20 years ago and is one of only two certified conservation cemeteries in Ohio and among 13 in the country.
Roth said this is where he and his wife would like to be buried.
Roth, an avid and longtime backpacker who has explored nature in Maine, West Virginia and other parts of the country, said he’s always appreciated the lands and trails near The Wilderness Center, 9877 Alabama Ave. SW.
“I want something natural,” Roth said. “I don’t believe chemicals and a concrete vault are a way to go, but (I prefer) a stone marker to show that I did exist in this world.”
Green burials are increasing at Foxfield Preserve
Roth isn’t the only one preferring a green burial, which is becoming more popular at Foxfield Preserve.
Averaging about a burial per week last year, the nonprofit conservation cemetery is gaining in popularity since it was established in 2008 by The Wilderness Center, also a nonprofit organization.
About 250 people are buried at the 43-acre site. Around 50 burials took place in 2024, said Barbara Yoder, preserve manager.
“Interest in Foxfield is growing in both sales and burials and has matured into being a working cemetery,” she said.
Foxfield is on pace in 2025 to exceed last year’s number of burials, she said.
Kristina Hansen, who oversees cemetery operations and plot sales at Foxfield, led a recent tour.
Hansen presented information about green burials and answered questions. Although natural burials have become more common in recent years, Foxfield Preserve continues to focus on outreach efforts to make more people aware of the option.
Conservation cemeteries are both similar and different than traditional cemeteries. Engraved memorial stones are an option as long as they follow guidelines regarding size, appearance and material. Funeral services can take place. And military veterans are buried at Foxfield.
“It’s a beautiful nature preserve, and I feel like it just has a real sense of peace and healing to it,” Hansen said.
There’s also a conservation burial ground at Kenyon College in Ohio − Kokosing Nature Preserve.
“There’s not a lot of people who do what we do,” Hansen said of Foxfield. “What we do here is really special.”
All burial containers at Foxfield must be biodegradable. So must the clothing worn by the deceased. Mowing is prohibited. Such restrictions are intended to keep the lands in a natural state, Hansen said.
For more information, go to foxfieldpreserve.org or call 330-359-5235.
Tours are usually given once a month from April through November. Dates are posted on the Foxfield Preserve website and Facebook. Virtual tours of Foxfield are expected to begin in November, featuring a live question-and-answer session, Hansen said.
Here’s a look at the key aspects of Foxfield Preserve and green burials.
1. What is a conservation cemetery?
A nature preserve cemetery does not resemble a conventional cemetery.
No rows of headstones. No ornate landscaping. No burial vaults. No ornamentation.
Burial sites are tucked within the prairie and forest at the preserve, which is on Foxfield Street SW near Alabama Avenue SW. Gravel roads wind through and paths lead to burial sites.
The green cemetery is contiguous with The Wilderness Center and is part of its trail system. People can hike about a mile to Foxfield Preserve from The Wilderness Center’s building at 9877 Alabama Ave. SW, or park at the Sigrist Woods Trailhead and hike from there.
The Wilderness Center suggests that new visitors stop at The Wilderness Center building to pick up a map and ask for directions to the cemetery.
Foxfield Preserve, the first cemetery in the country to partner with a land trust organization, is also the first natural burial cemetery in Ohio, said Yoder of The Wilderness Center. All Foxfield staff are employees of The Wilderness Center.
2. What are the burial options?
Foxfield Preserve only allows natural burials.
People are laid to rest in a biodegradable container such as a wooden casket (unpainted and unfinished solid wood is preferred), cotton or linen shroud or cardboard container. Bodies are not embalmed and vaults are not used. Bodies are dressed in clothing made of natural fibers such as cotton or wool.
Burying cremated remains in a biodegradable urn is also an option. Another option is to scatter cremated remains of a loved one in designated areas, either on a purchased plot or in the Valley View scattering garden.
3. Are services permitted at the preserve?
Graveside services are welcome, including religious services. Or a service can take place off-site. However, The Wilderness Center’s Interpretive Building does not host funerals. But rooms may be available to rent for meals or receptions following the interment.
“It can be really simple,” Hansen said of services at Foxfield Preserve. “Or it can involve more pieces, but we just want to support the families in any way we can and help Foxfield to heal them.”
Some traditional cemeteries also offer green burials, Hansen noted.
Military veterans also can be buried at Foxfield with full honors, she said.
4. How much does a green burial cost at Foxfield?
Besides the environmental benefits, a natural burial can be less costly than a conventional one, Foxfield Preserve says.
Ten percent of each plot sale at Foxfield is contributed to a perpetual care fund.
Plots purchased in advance cost $3,200, and plots purchased at the time of death cost $4,000. Payment is due in full prior to a burial service. Advance plots also can be paid using a 24-month installment plan. Prices do not include the cost of transportation, caskets or body care.
Half of the cost of the plot supports The Wilderness Center as a tax-deductible donation, and the other half supports the cost of operating and maintaining Foxfield Preserve.
Other expenses include a burial preparation fee due at the time of interment. Preparation costs include the cost of opening and closing the grave, genealogical archiving and site maintenance.
Full-body preparations cost from $1,300 to $1,550. Burial preparations for cremated remains cost $500.
The Wilderness Center is not part of a park system and does not receive regular public funds for its operation, Yoder explained. “So (Foxfield Preserve) helps to keep the trails open for free, fund land conservation and support nature education,” she said.
5. Are funeral homes involved with green burials?
Foxfield Preserve often works with funeral homes to provide natural burials.
Foxfield is a certified nature preserve conservation cemetery through the Green Burial Council.
Most families who bury loved ones at Foxfield Preserve use a funeral home for care of the body and for placing the body in a burial container, as well as for transportation of the body to the conservation cemetery, Hansen said. Funeral homes also can obtain the death certificate and burial permit.
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com. Follow on Instagram at ed_balint and TikTok @edwardbalint.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘Really special.’ Foxfield Preserve in Stark County hosts growing trend of green burials
Reporting by Ed Balint, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
