Woodland and natural burial in the UK: what it is and what it costs

Woodland burial – also called natural burial or green burial – has become a mainstream option at UK council cemeteries over the past two decades, sitting alongside traditional lawn graves. This guide explains how it works, what makes it different from a standard burial, and what it costs, using real figures published by the councils and cemeteries that offer it.

What is woodland or natural burial?

Woodland burial is an approach to burial designed to return the body to the earth with minimal environmental impact, usually in a setting managed as woodland, meadow, or wildflower grassland rather than a conventional lawn cemetery. The core practices are broadly consistent across sites, though the details vary by council:

• Biodegradable coffin only. Sites typically require a coffin made from materials that break down naturally – willow, wicker, cardboard, or untreated softwood. Traditional veneered chipboard coffins, or coffins with metal fittings, are usually not permitted.
• No embalming, in most cases. Embalming fluid interferes with natural decomposition, so many natural burial grounds either discourage or prohibit it.
• No permanent headstone. Instead of a stone memorial, sites often mark the grave with a native tree, shrub, or a small wooden or flat marker – or in some cases no visible marker at all, with the grave’s location logged by the site rather than shown on the surface. Wolverhampton’s Bushbury natural burial area, Sheffield’s Wisewood woodland burial, and Godalming’s Eashing Cemetery all follow this “living memorial” model, where a tree is planted as part of the burial itself.
• Single-depth graves. Because the grave is not intended to be reopened for a second interment in the same way a traditional double-depth grave might be, natural burial plots are usually sold as single-depth only.
• A managed natural landscape. The site itself is typically left to develop as wildflower meadow or young woodland over time, rather than being mown and maintained as formal lawn. Some councils describe this explicitly – Stroud District Council, for example, distinguishes its “meadow burial” section (still open) from an earlier “woodland burial” area (now full, no longer taking new plots).

Woodland burial is different from simply choosing a “green” funeral director or a biodegradable coffin for an otherwise standard burial. What defines it is the burial ground itself: a section, or in some cases an entire cemetery, set aside and managed specifically for this purpose, with its own planting scheme and its own rules.

How it differs from a standard or lawn burial

What woodland burial costs across the UK

The figures below are drawn directly from the published fee schedules of 40+ UK councils, each already sourced, dated, and verified on its own dedicated page on this site. We haven’t re-verified these figures independently for this page – each one carries the “last verified” date from its own source page, which you can visit for the full fee breakdown and further context.

Prices vary enormously by area, and most councils charge non-residents a significantly higher rate – sometimes double, occasionally more. Where a council publishes separate resident and non-resident rates, both are shown.

Comparison table: woodland and natural burial fees by council

Some councils mention a woodland or natural burial section in their cemetery description but do not publish a separate fee line for it – the standard adult grave and interment fees apply. These are marked “not itemised separately” above; visit the source page for the council’s full fee table.

Prices range from £465 for a single woodland burial at Lancaster City Council’s Torrisholme and Hale Carr sites, up to £4,268 for a 99-year woodland burial with a planted tree at Birmingham. The gap is largely down to what’s included: some fees cover only the interment, others bundle in the exclusive right of burial (the “grave purchase” element), a memorial tree, and a marker stone or plaque. Always check what a quoted figure includes before comparing two councils directly.

A small number of councils – Mole Valley and Stroud among them – report that their original woodland burial areas are now full and no longer accepting new plots, though Stroud continues to offer a comparable meadow burial section instead. It’s worth checking directly with the cemetery office before assuming a site is available.

How to choose a woodland or natural burial site

Check what’s included in the price. As the table above shows, some fees cover only the interment itself, while others bundle in the grave purchase (exclusive right of burial), a tree or shrub, and a marker. Ask the cemetery office for a full breakdown before comparing prices between sites.

Ask about the memorial policy. Some sites plant a tree per grave (Sheffield’s Wisewood, Wolverhampton’s Bushbury, several of Birmingham’s woodland options). Others use a shared or communal approach, without an individual marker at every plot. If having a specific, identifiable spot to visit matters to your family, ask exactly how the site records and marks individual graves.

Understand the residency rules. As with standard council burial, many woodland burial sites charge a non-resident premium – sometimes double the resident rate, and in Richmond upon Thames’s case, more than three times. A handful of councils, including Sheffield, North Yorkshire, and Stevenage’s Almond Lane site, charge the same rate regardless of residency. If you’re considering a council outside your own area, check this before assuming the advertised price applies to you.

Ask about coffin requirements in advance. Because biodegradable coffins are compulsory at almost every natural burial site, it’s worth confirming acceptable materials with the cemetery office and passing this on to your funeral director early, so the right coffin is ordered without delay.

Consider whether the site is council-run or privately operated. Most of the sites in this guide are run by local councils as part of their existing cemetery service. Some areas also have privately run, dedicated natural burial grounds – often charities or independent trusts – that aren’t included in this comparison because they don’t publish fees in the same format as a council fee schedule. If a council-run woodland burial section isn’t available locally, it’s worth asking a funeral director whether a private natural burial ground serves your area.

Ask what happens to memorial rights over time. Exclusive right of burial terms for natural burial plots are often shorter than for a traditional grave – Godalming and Havant both offer 50-year terms, for example, rather than the 75 or 99 years sometimes available for a standard grave. Check the term length and what renewal, if any, is possible.

What to expect on the day

A woodland or natural burial follows broadly the same structure as any other burial – a service, either at the graveside or beforehand at a chapel or place of worship, followed by the interment itself. The practical differences tend to be in the setting rather than the ceremony: mourners may walk further from a car park to reach the grave, the ground underfoot is often uneven grass or woodland path rather than a paved section, and there is no formal headstone to visit afterwards, though a tree or a simple marker will usually identify the spot.

Because natural burial grounds are often further from the cemetery’s main entrance or managed as a distinct area, it’s worth asking the cemetery office about accessibility in advance if any mourners have mobility needs.

Related guides

For the full fee schedule at your local council – including standard grave costs, interment fees, and any resident discount – see our cemetery and burial fees by council index. For wider funeral planning guidance, including the choice between burial and cremation, see our planning a funeral hub.

Figures on this page are drawn from each council’s own published fee schedule, as verified and dated on that council’s dedicated cemetery fees page on this site (linked in the table above). This page does not add new verification beyond citing those existing sources – for the fullest, most current breakdown for a specific council, visit its own page.