A welcoming and accessible 48-acre conservation memorial forest that features a bounty of gentle giant trees

Better Place Forests has announced its expansion to two conservation memorial forests to protect and conserve the Sierra Nevada region:  Better Place Forests Western Sierra and Better Places Forests Yosemite Gateway.

Deeply steeped in the history of the Gold Rush era, Better Place Forests Western Sierra is located in local El Dorado County. Accessible for residents in Sacramento, Reno/Carson City, and the Bay Area, this location is just one hour from South Lake Tahoe and one mile from the historic Pony Express. This open forestland is a welcoming and accessible 48-acre conservation memorial forest that features a bounty of gentle giant trees – including towering pines and bigleaf maples – that make you feel instantly at home in a classic Sierra forest. Families and their loved ones who reserve memorial trees in Better Place Forests Western Sierra help to protect the rich history and ecological biodiversity of this open space.

On Wednesday, May 26, Better Place Forests CEO, Sandy Gibson will be available to provide in-person tours and interviews at the Yosemite Gateway forest location. Please let me know if you’re interested and we can schedule a time that works best for you. If you’d prefer a phone interview, we can definitely arrange that as well.

Highly regarded for its conservation value, Better Place Forests Western Sierra features the old El Dorado Irrigation Canal that runs along the northeastern border of the property that once provided a reliable water source for miners during the Gold Rush era of the 1850s–1860s. The location is just 60 miles away from Sacramento and 140 miles away from San Francisco.  

With support from the community and neighbors, Better Place Forests is expanding its presence in central California, marking its fourth conservation memorial forest in the state and ninth in the country. Here’s what a customer of BPF Western Sierra had to say about their decision:

"Better Place Forest will provide new and specialized employment opportunities for county residents, presenting an excellent opportunity to balance strategic land conservation with economic growth in the county. By offering these opportunities, Better Place Forests will be promoting sustainable economic growth that is in strong alignment with the resource preservation goals of El Dorado County." -- Laurel Brent-Bumb, CEO of El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce

Better Place Forest recognizes the region’s great conservation value and is preserving a critical piece of contiguous land including its notable riparian wetland and a portion of the El Dorado Irrigation District’s Upper Main Canal. By choosing Better Place Forests, those who choose cremation can return their ashes to the earth, underneath a protected memorial tree while helping to maintain and protect forestland for generations to come.