The Cemetery as an Ecological Landscape: Carbon
Sequestration and Green Interment Alternatives
Kyla
Palubinskas, Physical and Earth Sciences Department
Abstract
Cemeteries are spaces for interring the dead. While contemporary interment practices utilize methods which
deplete scarce resources and contribute to environmental degradation, cemeteries themselves perform vital
ecological services: habitat preservation, species conservation, and carbon sequestration. In this study we
calculate the
amount of carbon sequestered in two cemeteries: a managed tree stand in Mount Auburn
Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts and an unmanaged tree stand in Rural Cemetery in Worcester,
Massachusetts. The sequestration rates from both cemeteries are compared to the overall sequestration rate of
Harvard Forest
—
an unmanaged and previously studied wooded area
—
to show the potential of cemeteries to
remove carbon from the atmosphere. These results highlight the role that cemeteries can play in providing
ecological benefits to the wider communities that surround them, making a case for comprehensive
conservation and cemetery management
strategies
associated with green burial practices
.
Introduction
Cemeteries
are
spaces
for
interring
and
memorializing
the
dead
.
Cemeteries
are
also
spaces
that
perform
ecological
services
.
Open
space
within
cemeteries
acts
as
a
natural
habitat
for
various
species
of
local,
sometimes
endangered,
flora
and
fauna
.
In
urban
areas
cemeteries
act
as
parks,
providing
relief
from
the
bustling
streets
and
highly
polluted
areas
of
industrial
development
.
In
addition
to
providing
open
space
and
natural
habitats
for
various
forms
of
wildlife,
the
tree
stands
located
in
cemeteries
have
the
ability
to
sequester
considerable
amounts
of
carbon
.
Currently
atmospheric
carbon
is
estimated
to
be
increasing
by
approximately
2
.
6
billion
metric
tons
annually
(Nowak,
2001
)
.
Trees,
through
their
growth
process,
act
as
a
sink
for
atmospheric
carbon
.
Therefore,
cemeteries
which
host
tree
stands
are
naturally
able
to
reduce
atmospheric
carbon
levels
.
Despite
the
environmental
benefits
cemeteries
offer,
certain
current
interment
practices
degrade
the
land
and
deplete
natural
resources
.
In
this
time
of
climatic
uncertainty
it
is
crucial
that
we
begin
to
view
cemeteries
as
ecological
reserves
and
use
them
as
such
.
Toxic Burial: Our Final Insult to the
Earth
Contemporary interment practices utilize environmentally harmful
methods.
Coffins, vaults, and embalming
(except under rare circumstances) are not required by law in any state, yet all are commonly used. In the United
States,
death
-
care
has become a $15 billion industry
—
and a wasteful and toxic one at that. Each year we bury
:
Enough
embalming fluid (now made up of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen according to the World Heath
Organization) to fill eight Olympic
-
size
pools
More
steel (in coffins alone) than was used to build the Golden Gate
Bridge
Enough
reinforced concrete
to construct
a two
-
lane highway from New York to
Detroit
(
Sehee
, 2007)
Approximately
30
million
trees,
including
some
tropical
species,
which
are
manufactured
into
coffins
(
Woodsen
,
1998
)
.
Though
these
“traditional”
burial
practices
have
been
utilized
for
roughly
a
century,
it
would
be
beneficial
to
return
to
earlier,
more
sustainable,
methods
of
interment
.
One
potential
way
to
go
about
this
is
through
the
propagation
of
what
are
commonly
called
“green
burials”
.
Dying to be Green: An Environmentally Friendly Method of Interment
Green
burials
emphasize
the
use
of
biodegradable
materials
made
from
renewables,
instead
of
the
exotic
woods
and
metals
associated
with
“traditional”
coffins
.
Green
burials
allow
for
plots
to
be
recycled
.
C
omplete
decomposition
takes
a
year,
as
opposed
to
the
decades
it
takes
for
a
casketed
corpse
to
decompose
.
Green
burials
eliminate
the
use
of
hazardous
chemicals
necessary
for
embalming,
helping
to
avoid
potential
soil
and
groundwater
contamination
.
Additionally,
green
burials
commonly
use
trees
as
grave
markers
.
By
doing
so,
these
types
of
burials
naturally
promote
the
growth
of
forests
in
cemeteries
.
Carbon
Sequestration
Forests
are
a
significant
part
of
the
global
carbon
cycle
.
Through
the
process
of
photosynthesis,
plants
use
the
energy
they
receive
from
sunlight
to
convert
nutrients
and
atmospheric
CO
2
into
carbohydrates
.
As
more
photosynthesis
occurs,
more
carbon
is
sequestered,
reducing
carbon
in
the
atmosphere
and
storing
it
above
and
below
ground
.
Since
cemeteries
often
contain
tree
stands,
they
have
the
ability
to
both
sequester
carbon
and
affect
the
rate
and
quantity
of
emissions
of
CO
2
from
urban
areas
.
Methods
Field
Methods
This
research
was
conducted
at
Mount
Auburn
Cemetery,
a
managed
forest,
in
Cambridge
MA,
and
Rural
Cemetery,
an
unmanaged
forest
in
Worcester,
MA
.
At
Mount
Auburn,
a
pre
-
existing
dataset
containing
measurements
from
1996
was
also
used
.
At
each
site,
diameter
tape
was
used
to
measure
tree
diameter
at
breast
height
(DBH)
.
At
Mount
Auburn,
trees
in
sections
10
,
33
,
and
41
were
measured,
while
at
Rural
Cemetery,
all
trees
inside
the
cemetery
perimeter
were
measured
.
DBH
measurements
were
coded
according
to
the
species
-
specific
codes
of
Jenkins,
et
al
(
2004
)
and
entered
into
a
spreadsheet
.
DBH
was
converted
to
aboveground
biomass
(total
dry
weight
of
portion
of
tree
above
ground)
using
species
-
specific
allometric
equations
(Jenkins
et
al
.
,
2004
)
.
Aboveground
biomass
was
converted
to
carbon
by
taking
the
sum
of
biomass
and
dividing
by
2
(Fahey
et
al
.
,
2005
)
.
Entire Cemetery
Section 10
Section 33
Section 41
Sections 10, 33,
and 41
1996 Carbon
Storage
44.8
MgC
/ha
49.6
MgC
/ha
49.7
MgC
/ha
32.9
MgC
/ha
44.9
MgC
/ha
2012 Carbon
Storage
66.7
MgC
/ha
71.9
MgC
/ha
73.5
MgC
/ha
53.7
MgC
/ha
67.1
MgC
/ha
Annual
Above
-
ground
Sequestration
1.4
MgC
/
hayr
1.4
MgC
/
hayr
1.5
MgC
/
hayr
1.3
MgC
/
hayr
1.4
MgC
/
hayr
Results
Table
3:
Carbon Storage, Mount Auburn Cemetery
T
hese results
show a significant
increase
in the total amount of carbon stored in
the entire cemetery and
sections 10, 33, and 41
from
1996
-
2012.
Based on these results, we can attribute Mount Auburn’s increased
carbon retention rates to its management practices and abundant planting of trees.
Table
4
:
%
of
Carbon
Sequestered
by
Rural
Cemetery
based
on
%
of
carbon
sequestered
annually
at
Mount
Auburn
Cemetery
and
Harvard
Forest
These
results
suggest
that
the
more
managed
a
forest
is,
the
more
carbon
it
will
sequester
.
These
results
also
suggest
that
all
forests,
managed
or
unmanaged,
are
able
to
sequester
considerable
amounts
of
carbon
.
It
is
important
to
note
that
Mount
Auburn’s
estimated
annual
carbon
sequestration
sets
an
unrealistic
standard
.
Few
forests
are
likely
to
receive
the
intensive
management
practiced
at
Mount
Auburn
Cemetery
.
Conclusion
Death
is
an
inevitable
part
of
life
;
however,
placing
an
unnecessary
strain
on
a
fragile
ecosystem
is
not
.
In
continuing
traditional
burial
practices
we
are
not
only
disrespecting
the
Earth
but
also
doing
a
great
disservice
to
future
generations
.
Left
unaltered,
current
interment
practices
will
make
it
so
future
generations
do
not
have
the
luxury
of
burying
the
dead
in
our
present
elaborat
cemeteries
.
Green
burials
offer
an
alternative
to
this
bleak
situation
.
Utilizing
interment
practices
which
are
ecologically
sound
not
only
allow
us
to
rest
in
harmony
with
nature,
but
also
helps
to
reduce
carbon
emissions
.
Since
trees
are
often
used
as
grave
markers
for
natural
burials
these
types
of
interment
practices
can
improve
the
tree
stands,
ecosystems,
and
carbon
sequestration
rates
of
cemeteries
.
Table 1: Mount
Auburn Data
Analysis
(See
Table 3 for results)
Rural
Cemetery Data
Analysis
Using
the
same
field
methods,
the
total
carbon
sequestered
in
MgC
/ha
was
determined
by
dividing
the
total
amount
of
carbon
(
941464
kg
)
by
the
area
of
the
cemetery
(
13
.
1
ha
)
.
(See
Table
4
:
row
1
:
column
2
)
*Known
: Harvard Forest’s (
Urbanski
et al., 2007) total forest carbon sequestration
(aboveground, belowground and soil) is
approximately 2.4
times larger than its annual above
-
ground
sequestration
(control), its annual above
-
ground sequestration is 1.04
MgC
/ha/
yr
, and its total carbon
storage is 115
MgC
/ha).* Harvard Forest was used because carbon sequestration rates were known and it is an unmanaged forest which could be
compared to Rural Cemetery.
Data Point
Operation
Amount of carbon sequestered per ha for
cemetery in 1996 (See
T
able 3: row1:column
1)
Total
carbon
divided
by 71
ha (are
a of Mount
Auburn)
Amount of carbon sequestered per ha in
sections 10, 33, and
41 in 1996 (See
Ta
ble
3: row
1: column 5)
Isolate
and sum
carbon estimates
for
these
sections;
divide total
carbon
by
5.3 ha (area of sections 10,
33, and 41)
Amount of carbon sequestered per ha in
sections 10, 33, and
41
in 2012 (See Table 3:
row
2: column 5)
Isolate
and s
um carbon
estimates
for these
sections;
divide
total carbon
by 5.3
ha (area
of
sections 10, 33, and 41)
Amount of
carbon sequestered per ha in each
individual section in 1996 and 2012 (See Table
3: rows 1 &2: columns 2, 3 & 4)
Isolate and sum carbon estimates for each
individual section and divide the total
carbon
estimate for each section
by the area of each
section ;
Section 10
-
2.76 ha: Section 33
-
1.02 ha:
Section 41
-
1.5 ha
Annual above
-
ground carbon
sequestration rate
for sections 10, 33, and
41 and
entire cemetery
(See
Table 3: row 3:
columns
1
-
5
)
Divide the difference in carbon storage from 1996
-
2012 by
16 (# of years from 1996
-
2012)
Estimate of carbon sequestered per ha for
cemetery,
in 2012 (See Table 3: row 2: column 1)
Subtract 1996
total
carbon
estimate for selected
sections (10, 33, 41) from 2012 total carbon
estimate for selected sections and divide by 1996
total carbon estimate for selected sections. This
suggested that an increase in carbon storage of
about 50% from 1996
-
2012 occurred. This
estimate of a 50% increase was applied to the
entire cemetery’s 1996 data to come up with an
estimated sequestration for 2012.
Data
Point
Operation
The total
annual carbon sequestration ( above
-
ground and below
-
ground and soil)
(See Table 3: row 3: column 1)
Multiply 2.4 by the
annual
above
-
ground
sequestration
(for Mount Auburn this
would
be 1.4
MgC
/
hayr
)*
Mount Auburn
-
2.4 X 1.4
MgC
/
hayr
= 3.36
MgC
/
hayr
Harvard Forest
-
2.4 X 1.04
MgC
/
hayr
= 2.5
MgC
/
hayr
The %
of
carbon
sequestered annually
Divide total
annual carbon
sequestration by
total
carbon storage (for Mount Auburn this would be the
2012 total for entire cemetery)
Mount Auburn
-
3.36/66.7=
5% ( this means 5% of
total carbon is sequestered annually)
Harvard Forest
-
2.5/115= 2.2% (this means that 2.2%
of total carbon is sequestered annually)
The carbon sequestration potential of Rural
Cemetery (based on Mount Auburn rate
) (See
Table
4: row 2: column 2)
Multiply total
carbon (71
MgC
/ha) by
the
%
of
carbon
sequestered annually
by Mount
Auburn (5.0%)
The carbon sequestration potential of Rural
cemetery (based on Harvard Forest rate
) (See
Table 4: row 3: column 2)
Multiply
total carbon (71
MgC
/ha)
by the
%
of carbon
sequestered annually
by
Harvard Forest (2.2%)
Total Carbon
71
MgC
/ha
Carbon
sequestration potential based on Mount
Auburn annual % of carbon sequestration
3.6
MgC
/
hayr
Carbon
sequestration potential based on Harvard
Forest annual % of carbon sequestration
1.5
MgC
/
hayr
Advisors: Dr. Allison Dunn, Dr. Patricia Benjamin and
Dr. Stephen Healy
Table
2
:
Calculating
the
amount
carbon
sequestered
from
the
atmosphere
by
Rural
Cemetery
based
on
the
%
of
carbon
sequestered
annually
by
Mount
Auburn
Cemetery
and
Harvard
Forest
(an
unmanaged
forest)
in
Petersham
,
MA
(See
Table
4
for
results
)
Mount Auburn Cemetery,
Cambridge, MA
(a managed forest)
Rural Cemetery, Worcester, MA
(an unmanaged forest)
ha= hectare
MgC
/
hayr
= Mega grams of carbon per hectare per year; 1 mega gram= 1 metric ton or 1000 kilograms; 1 hectare= 2.47 acres.
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