Frequently asked questions
A living memorial, held honestly.
Heirloom was shaped in conversation with funeral directors, cemetery leaders, and families. The questions below are the ones they told us matter most, answered the way we run the whole programme: verifiable, transparent and measurable, so nothing about a Heirloom dedication is left to assumption, before, during, or after.
Can't find your question? hello@heirloomtrees.ca , a real person will reply.
What you're actually buying
The single most important thing to understand before you plant. Read this first.
- What am I actually paying for when I plant a Heirloom tree?
- You're supporting a memorial dedication and real tree planting in Canada. Your purchase covers the tree itself being planted in a managed Canadian forest, its long-term stewardship as part of that forest, and the digital certificate you receive in the family's name. Every dedication is verifiable against a specific planting record, not a general contribution to a pool.
- Do I own the tree, or the land it grows on?
- No. A Heirloom memorial is not ownership of the tree, the land it grows on, or the timber. The tree is planted and cared for as part of a long-term forest managed by our planting partners. Think of it as a living memorial dedication, not a land or property purchase.
- Am I buying interment rights or a gravesite?
- No. Heirloom does not sell interment rights, burial plots, or gravesites. Where a tree is planted on cemetery grounds through a funeral-home or cemetery partner, it is a memorial tree, not a marked plot. Interment rights must be arranged directly with the cemetery.
Trees are living, long-term expectations
A tree is a living thing in a working landscape. We commit to the forest, not to any single tree in perpetuity.
- What happens if my memorial tree dies or has to be removed?
- Disease, pests, storms, drought and safety can all mean an individual tree needs to be tended, moved, or replaced over time. We commit to long-term forest stewardship, the memorial and the planting continue as part of the forest, rather than to guaranteeing the survival of any single specific tree forever.
- Will the tree always stay in the exact same spot?
- Yes.
- Can I visit the tree?
- For cemetery plantings through a partner, visiting is generally welcome - follow that partner's on-site policy for flowers, ornaments and photographs. For plantings in managed forests, we share the region and forest details on the certificate rather than a public pin, to protect the planting and the surrounding ecosystem.
Cemetery and funeral-home partnerships
- What does it mean when a tree is planted at a cemetery through a partner?
- It means the memorial tree lives on that cemetery's grounds as part of the cemetery's landscape, with the partner's approval. It is a memorial dedication, not a guaranteed gravesite or plot unless interment rights have been arranged separately and directly with the cemetery.
- Who maintains the tree and the surrounding site?
- The cemetery or forest partner maintains the site. We keep clear records of who plants each tree, who is responsible for the surrounding land, and what happens if a specific tree needs replacement. If you have a question about a specific planting, email hello@heirloomtrees.ca.
- Are physical mementoes (flowers, ornaments, photos) allowed?
- Any physical mementoes at a partner site follow that partner's on-site policy. Please check with the cemetery or funeral home before leaving items at a memorial tree.
Family consent and how we reach people
- Do you contact families after a death?
- Only when we've been introduced by a funeral-home partner acting with the family. We do not scrape obituaries, we do not market memorial products to grieving families we haven't been introduced to, and we do not use anyone's grief as a growth channel.
Stewardship, records and succession
- How do you keep track of each memorial over time?
- Every dedication is recorded with the name, the planting region, the partner (if any) and the certificate issued to the family. Survival, growth and canopy contribution across our partner forests are measurable and reported at the forest level, so the impact behind each memorial isn't just a promise on paper. If a tree needs replacement, the memorial and the record remain, the planting continues as part of the forest.
- Who is Heirloom actually working with to plant?
- Heirloom is powered by Canada's Forest Trust Corporation and its network of planting and stewardship partners across Canada. Trees are planted in managed Canadian forests, and, for cemetery memorials, on the grounds of partner cemeteries and funeral homes.
Still have a question?
We'd rather answer honestly up front than have any part of the memorial experience be a surprise later.