Finding eternal rest, at the foot of a tree

A couple stands in front of a group of trees to choose a place where they will rest after their death in a forest sanctuary in Muttersholtz, eastern France. Photos: Patrick Hertzog/AFP

No grave, nor a wreath. Instead, eternal rest in an urn buried at the foot of a tree.

This alternative to cemeteries, known as sanctuary forests, are spreading in eastern France, an ecological project inspired by neighbouring Germany.