Graveyards and cemeteries may seem odd places to cele-
brate the living world, but their value as urban green spaces
is now well recognised, especially with the growth of the
sustainability agenda, concerns about biodiversity loss, and
awareness of the impact of greenery on human health and
well-being. As David Goode (2014; 84) notes: "Ask any urban
wildlife trust for a list of its best nature areas and it will prob-
ably include one or two cemeteries." Central to most of these
spaces is their habitat form—"urban savannas"—a mosaic
of open grassland and scattered parkland trees (Photo 1).
I've made extensive use of cemeteries and graveyards as
spaces of learning in the UK, both as part of the formal
university curriculum and for community engagement.
Cemeteries and graveyards provide inspirational settings in
which to engage students in the wider sustainability debate.
Discussions range from historic population growth and
urbanisation to the role of these sites as a "particular kind
of landfill" (Fielder, et al., 2012; 90), with attendant environ-
mental impacts (use of space; burial of metal, wood, and
concrete; and toxic materials, including embalming fluid),
as well as provision of beneficial ecosystem services.
This article highlights several themes: burial sites
as formal arboreta; cemeteries as the location of
veteran trees with immense biodiversity value; and
lastly, cemeteries as sites of plant invasion.
A Matter of Life and Death:
Trees in City Cemeteries
and Graveyards
Story and photos by Peter Vujakovic, Professor of
Geography, School of Human and Life Sciences,
Canterbury Christ Church University, UK
Photo 1. Canterbury Road Cemetery in
Ashford, Kent (UK) as urban savanna.
Photo 2. English
of St. Martin's,
continuous
16 CityTREES