Planning Commission Approves Green Burial Cemetery Near Kneeland Road

The Humboldt County Planning Commission on November 9 and 10 unanimously granted a conditional use permit to Sacred Groves, Inc. for a conservation green burial cemetery located near Kneeland Road approximately 30 minutes from Eureka. The project converts roughly 44 to 47 acres of existing hay pasture and working lands into a burial site offering forestland burial, grassland burial, and an oak savannah restoration burial area, subject to permit conditions and final operational approvals.

Project materials describe burial practices intended to maintain a natural landscape. Embalming will not be permitted. Biodegradable shrouds or caskets will be required, and concrete vaults and plastic liners will be prohibited. Graves will be dug by hand and there will be no above ground markers in order to preserve a natural appearance. County staff flagged a minimum burial cover depth requirement during review, and commissioners adopted an 18 inch minimum burial cover and directed staff and the applicant to develop an animal disturbance protocol as part of final permit conditions.

Public engagement played a visible role in the hearing process. The staff report cited roughly 18 of 20 public comments in favor of the proposal, reflecting community interest in a green burial option beyond the near full cemetery option in Trinidad. Supporters and the applicant highlighted environmental benefits, including a lower carbon footprint than traditional burial or cremation. The commission also noted the project will keep existing haying, grazing and forestry practices outside the active burial footprint, maintaining some current agricultural and forestry uses on the property.

The approval is conditional. The applicant must finalize several operational details before the cemetery may open. Those conditions include the animal disturbance protocol, adherence to the burial cover requirement, and other operational plans that county staff will review to ensure compliance with local land use and public health standards. Project documents show a small discrepancy in the reported acreage, listed in different materials as about 44 and about 47 acres, an inconsistency commissioners and staff acknowledged will need clarification in final permit paperwork.

For Humboldt County residents the permit authorizes a locally available green burial choice and frames expectations for how the site will operate and integrate with surrounding working lands. The commission vote and the volume of supportive public comment indicate both institutional and community receptivity to alternative burial practices, while the permit conditions reflect ongoing regulatory oversight to address wildlife, health and land use concerns as the project moves toward implementation.