mer r imac

green cemeter y

feasibility study
Pr epar ed for
J o h n DiBite tto
Essex Co u n ty Gre e n be lt Asso c iat io n
Fu n e ral Co n su me r s Allian ce o f E ast e r n Massac h u se t t s

Kat e B enisek and Kat harin e G eh ron

LANDSC APE DESIGN AND PLANNING CONSULTANTS

J une 2010
contents
Introduction
What Is Green Burial?..................................................8–9
The Project..................................................................10–11
Burial Today..................................................................12–13
Conservation Burial.................................................14–15
Green Burial Cemeteries......................................16–17
Context
Site Context...........................................................20–21
The Merrimac River Watershed.........................22–23
Land in Merrimac......................................................24–25
Land Protection & Conservation.......................26–27
Site Access...................................................................28–29
The DiBitteto Parcel................................................30–31
Analysis
Site Elements..............................................................34–35
Wetlands & Rivers....................................................36–39
Slopes & Drainage....................................................40–43
Soils & Groundwater...............................................44–47
Access & Circulation...............................................48–51
Visual Features...........................................................52–55
Plant Communities & Habitat..............................56–59
Recommendations
Synthesis & Findings................................................62–65
Recommendations & Next Steps......................66–67
Conclusion...........................................................................69
Sources..........................................................................70–71
Acknowledgements..........................................................73
introduction
The Green Burial Council is the largest and
most influential national organization working
on natural burial. It is the only such organization
offering certification to green cemeteries. The
GBC stamp of approval means that a cemetery
has committed to transparency and oversight,
and it ensures that the cemetery’s approved
practices and regulations will not be weakened
or negatively altered in the future.

The Green Burial Council seeks to facilitate

partnerships between conservation entities and
representatives from the funeral and deathcare
industries to “create burial programs that aid in
the restoration, acquisition and/or stewardship of
natural areas.”
W H AT IS
G R EEN B URIAL ?
Green burial, also known as natural burial, is a form of interment in which
the body is returned to the earth very simply.

The Green Burial Council, a nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of

green burial across the country, defines green burial as “end-of-life rituals,
disposition options, and products that do not involve the use of toxic
chemicals or nonbiodegradable materials.”

In other words, in a green burial, the body is not pumped full of formaldehyde
(a probable carcinogen); it is not placed in a casket made of metal or tropical
hardwood (both of which typically contain dangerous sealants, adhesives,
and other chemicals); and it is not lowered into a 1-ton concrete vault (the
purpose of which is to keep the ground from settling into a depression over
the new grave) and covered with a 1200-pound concrete lid.

Instead, the body is placed into a simple shroud, plain pine box, or
biodegradable casket soon after death. The body is then taken to a burial
ground and is lowered into a shallow grave, often dug by family members.
Soil is then mounded over the casket. Flowers may be scattered atop the
new mound, which slowly settles over time.
9
 Goal
Determine the feasibility of creating a natural burial ground on the DiBitetto parcel

Objectives
Inventory the site’s ecological existing conditions
Describe the social context of the project
Outline financial and legal considerations
Identify associated opportunities and constraints

Clients
John DiBitetto, Property Owner
Essex County Greenbelt Association, Land Trust
Funeral Consumers Alliance of Eastern Massachusetts

Stakeholders
Funeral consumers and families
Owners of abutting properties
Community of Merrimac
Recreationists
Nonhuman entities

T H E P ROJECT
Many people today are seeking a closer relationship with the natural world. The shift of
natural foods, natural medicine, and “green” products from the periphery of culture into
the mainstream attests to this urge. As part of this movement, many individuals are looking
for a more natural way to return to the earth when they die. In death, as in life, they wish
to forgo industrial chemicals and products as a way to show respect for their bodies
and the earth. And many people find the idea of giving their bodies back to nature—of
supporting a natural system like a forest—a poetic and ethically satisfying idea.
Massachusetts is a progressive, forward-thinking place, yet it lags behind many other parts
of the country when it comes to the options available to people who are choosing a
funeral for themselves or a loved one.
The chance to institute the first conservation-minded, nondenominational green cemetery
in Massachusetts may lie within reach. In recent months, landowner John DiBitetto has
social support financial/legal
considerations
feasibility
ecological integrity
been exploring the possibility of creating a green cemetery on his 32-acre parcel of land
in Merrimac, Massachusetts. John has teamed up with David Santomenna and Becky
Dean of the Essex County Greenbelt Association, a land trust, and Judith Lorei and Carol
Coan of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Eastern Massachusetts, a consumer-advocacy
nonprofit, to hire a team to study the suitability of the Merrimac parcel for what would be
the state’s first green cemetery and potentially its first conservation burial ground.
If the project is greenlit, it would set several other important precedents: it would create
the first privately held conservation land under easement in Merrimac; the Essex County
Greenbelt Association would gain an easement in a part of the county where they hold
very little land in trust; and it would be a case study for land trusts thinking about new
ways to approach land conservation and considering the value of protecting certain kinds
of working landscapes.
11
 6 feet

BURIA L TODAY
formaldehyde
noxious coatings

particulates SO2
Each year, 22,500 conventional cemeteries across the United States bury: CO2
mercury

embalming fluid
827,060 gallons, which includes formaldehyde
caskets
90,272 tons of steel
2,700 tons of copper and bronze
30-plus million board feet of hardwoods
vaults
1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete
14,000 tons of steel

Each year, 11 approved green burial cemeteries across the United States bury,

in cotton shrouds and pine, softwood, or paper caskets:

3.5–4 feet
bodies.

12
In a conventional burial , the body is embalmed prior to interment in order to delay decomposition. After embalming, the body is placed into a casket and
lowered into a six-foot-deep grave lined with a 1-ton concrete vault. Conventional burial methods may pose a risk to public health and the health of the ecosystem in
numerous ways:
• Embalming uses formaldehyde, a carcinogen that presents a health hazard to embalmers.
• Millions of gallons of formaldehyde are buried annually. Little research has been conducted on the effects of formaldehyde on groundwater quality.
• Traditional caskets are often made from tropical hardwoods, which come from distant and dwindling rainforests, or from metals, which do not readily break down in the
soil.
• Caskets are often coated with substances containing noxious chemicals. As a result, major casket manufacturers regularly show up on the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s biennial list of each state’s top fifty hazardous-waste generators. As with formaldehyde, these chemicals presumably leach into the groundwater, posing an unknown
risk to the purity of nearby potable-water supplies.

Cost to consumer : averages $10,000

Cremation—the process of incinerating a body—consumes fewer natural resources and involves fewer chemicals and materials than conventional burial.
Crematories have become more and more clean and efficient over the years as a result of developments in technology and increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
Crematories are regulated by the EPA, which requires that most air pollutants be filtered out during the cremation process and which continually revises these regulations.
Even so, cremation still requires large amounts of energy and has several drawbacks. Cremation has potentially harmful environmental impacts, due to the fact that it:
• involves fossil-fuel combustion, which uses up nonrenewable natural resources and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to the buildup of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere.
• releases some pollutants, despite improvements in pollutant-filtration technology. These pollutants include sulfur dioxide, which contributes to acid rain; a small amount of
fine par ticulate matter ; and trace amounts of mercury, released from silver-amalgam dental fillings.

Cost to consumer : averages $1,800

Green burial is a chemical-free and environmentally friendly form of burial that:

• has been practiced for most of human history.
• involves placing bodies directly into the ground without embalming preservatives, in biodegradable containers.
• is completely legal in almost every state in the United States.
• is perfectly safe as long as the burial ground is sited according to laws and regulations.
• typically has a conscious conservation focus.
• uses native and beneficial noninvasive vegetation in place of turf lawns to create habitat, improve stormwater cleaning and infiltration, and create sacred space.
• involves shallow (3.5'–4') burials to make nutrients available to plants.
• often includes no grave markers or only natural markers such as flush stones or plants that mark grave sites.
Cost to consumer : $1,000–$4,000
13
Conservation burial:

• Requires that a cemetery adhere to a number of protocols to ensure that burials never degrade an ecosystem

• Where possible, encourages and facilitates ecological restoration

• Requires that biological, geological, and hydrological surveys be done to determine appropriate burial location(s) and density

• Requires the involvement of an established, independent conservation organization, such as a land trust, to serve as steward and be willing to hold a
conservation easement, guaranteeing that the standards for conservation burial will be upheld in perpetuity.
Source: Green Burial Council website FAQs

C O N S ERVATION
BU R IA L
Humans have practiced a simple, biodegradable, non-chemical method of burial for
thousands of years—it was only in the 1860s, with the rise of embalming, that it was
supplanted by current, conventional burial practices that involve chemical embalming, a
casket, and a concrete vault.
What is today called green burial represents an unprecedented way of thinking about
interment: increasingly, it is also an act of active environmental stewardship. Many
green burials are conducted in places where the land is being conserved for ecological
protection or restoration. In these cemeteries, humans seek not to dominate or ignore
nature but to become truly integrated with it.
This conservation component may or may not be present when green burials are
conducted in so-called hybrid cemeteries, or cemeteries that permit both conventional
and green burial, because there may be no centralized location where green burials take
place, or they make take place on land that is not suitable for conservation purposes.
green
conventional
hybrid
conservation
burial ground
Conservation is, however, usually a major objective of a green cemetery, a burial ground
that does not permit conventional burials.
Conservation measures are guaranteed to be present in perpetuity in a conservation
burial ground—a special designation coined by the Green Burial Council and given by
the council to green cemeteries where “burials never degrade an ecosystem and, where
possible, facilitate ecological restoration,” and where both the green cemetery itself and
these management practices are made permanent through a conservation easement held
by a land trust.
Most green burial grounds look very different from any kind of cemetery we are used to
in America because they double as conservation areas. They appear to be meadowlands,
prairies, or woodlands at first glance, and they lack even gravestones to give away their
purpose—grave markers are either absent or are set flush with the ground.
15
 G R EEN B URIAL CEMETERIEs
1
SEATTLE 13

3 12
PORTLAND 2
SITE
BOSTON
11
10
NEW YORK

8 9
WASHINGTON, DC

ATLANTA
6
4 7
LOS ANGELES 5 LEGEND

Approved green cemetery

Cemeteries here may be seeking approval or a conservation easement.

Approved conservation burial ground
Correct as of April 2010.

0 100 miles Not-yet-approved green cemetery

N (New England only)
Moles Greenacres Memorial Park
1
Ferndale, WA
Estacada Cemetery District
2 Foxfield Preserve
Estacada, OR 8
Wilmot, OH Approximate Distance from Boston, MA:
White Eagle Memorial Preserve
3 Steelmantown Cemetery
Goldendale, WA 9
Steelmantown, NJ to Pittsford, NY: 380 miles, 6 hours 40 min
Joshua Tree Memorial Park
4 Greensprings Natural Cemetery
Joshua Tree, CA 10 to Newfield, NY: 350 miles, 6 hours 20 min
Newfield, NY
Honey Creek Woodlands to Steelmantown NJ: 350 miles, 6 hours
5 Conyers, GA White Haven Memorial Park
11 Pittsford, NY to Orrington, ME: 240 miles, 4 hours
Ramsey Creek Preserve to Limington, ME: 112 miles, 2 hours 15 min
6 Westminster, SC Cedar Brook Burial Ground
12
Limington, ME
Dust to Dust to Merrimac, MA: 40 miles, 45 minutes
7 Rainbow’s End
Swansea, SC 13
Orrington, ME

16
 QUE BE C ,
C A NA DA

ALBANY - 200 miles

BURLINGTON - 194 miles

MONTPELIER - 159 miles

MA INE

NE W
AUGUSTA - 143 miles

an unmet need
YORK

VE R M O N T
PORTLAND - 83 miles

N E W H A M P S H IRE
CONCORD - 47 miles FACING PAGE When a death occurs, families must be prepared to make
MANCHESTER - 36 miles plans within hours. This is especially true when the deceased has elected to
SITE have a green burial. Time is of the essence.

For people in or near the Boston area, where most people in Massachusetts
M A SSAC H US E TTS BOSTON - 40 miles live, choosing to be buried in a green cemetery may not seem like a viable
SPRINGFIELD - 117 miles option, even for those who are interested in natural burial. The closest
Green Burial Council–approved cemeteries are a six-hour drive away—and,
PROVIDENCE - 89 miles
furthermore, they are outside New England, far from home, outside the
R HO DE
HARTFORD - 128 miles region's cultural unit.
CO N N E C TIC UT I SLAND

A tl a nti c Oce a n THIS PAGE A green cemetery in Merrimac could serve the currently
NEW HAVEN - 164 miles underserved New England market for green burial very well. Centrally
0 50 miles located in New England, Merrimac is less than an hour's drive from Boston
NEW YORK CITY - 245 miles N
and is close to other New England cities.
17
context
 SITE

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ill,
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0' 500'
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IN T RODUCTION Examining a site’s context—its location within and relationship to the surrounding environment—leads
to a greater understanding of the site's place and function, whether as part of a town, a watershed, or a
larger region. A thorough analysis of a site's context both informs and directs appropriate land use and
planning.

Merrimac, Massachusetts, is located on the southern border of New Hampshire, approximately 34

Site Context
The Merrimack River Watershed
Land in Merrimac
Land Protection & Conservation
Site Access
The DiBitteto Parcel
miles northeast of Boston. Despite being located at nearly the northernmost point of the state of
Massachusetts, Merrimac is widely considered to be part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area,
due in part to the fact that Route 495, a major interstate, passes through Merrimac, connecting it with
the city and other Boston suburbs.
Merrimac has a longstanding agricultural past that is still evident in the somewhat rural landscape that
predominates in the town's northern half today. But twenty-first-century suburban land-use patterns
are also evident: a growing residential population is putting new pressures on the landscape.
SITE

495

0 1 mile
N

21
 NEW
VERMONT HAMPSHIRE MAINE

ig e w as se t
pe m
squam
lake

lake
winnipesaukee

CONCORD

k
contoocoo
MANCHESTER

egan SITE
ATLANTIC

h
OCEAN

sou
NASHUA

HAVERHILL

ua
LAWRENCE
MASSACHUSETTS

nash
LOWELL

wachusett d
cor
reservoir con

BOSTON

0 20 miles
N

T he MERRIMAC K R I V E R A watershed is a land area in which all water drains into the same river,
stream, lake, pond, or other body of water. The Merrimack River watershed,
of which Merrimac is a par t, covers a total of 5,010 square miles, making it

WATERSHED the four th-largest watershed in New England. The Merrimac River originates
in central New Hampshire, at the confluence of the Pemigewasset River
and the Winnipesaukee River, and runs a total of about 180 miles before
meeting the Atlantic Ocean in Newbur ypor t, Massachusetts.
22
 bac
k ri
ver
AM E SB U RY
108

N E W TON, NH

lake
cobbler’s brook attitash SITE MERRIMAC
to
atlantic
ocean
NEW
HAM flow of
silv

MAS PSH
IRE
SITE
er

S AC east
bro

HUS meadow
ea ETT
ok

st 110 S river
me
ad
PL AIS TOW, ow
NH riv
er
495 milvale
reservoir

r im a c k riv er
mer

r
rive
H AV E RHILL
W E ST

ck
N E W B U RY

ima
rr
me
0 1 mile 0 1 mile
N N

Water bodies make up 3.4 percent of Merrimac’s total land area and include
numerous ponds and streams, por tions of Lake Attitash, and the segment of
the Merrimack River that flows through the town. Surface water in Merrimac
drains into the Merrimack River, running along the southern edge of town,
toward the Atlantic Ocean. Merrimac’s secondar y waterways include
perennial streams and brooks including Cobbler’s Brook, the Back River,
Silver Brook, and the East Meadow River, which flows around the nor thern
perimeter of the DiBitetto parcel.
Water from the site drains into the East Meadow River. Before joining the
Merrimack River, the East Meadow River flows into the Millvale Reser voir, a
source of drinking water for the city of Haverhill, three miles to the south.
Preser ving and protecting water resources is a top priority for many towns,
including Merrimac, as development can impair the ability of our wetlands,
rivers, and reser voirs to clean our water—a function that is essential for
human health and the health of the greater environment.
23
 C em e t er i e s in M e r r ima c , Ma s s a c husetts

Merrimac has three local burial grounds that are managed by an elected N E W TO N , N H AME S BU RY
board of cemetery trustees and part-time staff. The Church Street (A) and
108
Lower Corner (B) cemeteries are the oldest and display the community’s
earliest monuments and grave markers. These two cemeteries are little used
today. Locust Grove Cemetery (C), a Victorian-era burial ground, is the most
active and is expected to provide adequate burial space for many more
years, according to Merrimac cemetery trustee Richard Fournier.

Each of these cemeteries is classified as Urban Open Space in B

SITE
Massachusetts GIS maps, and each is located within a 1.5-mile radius of the A 110

downtown core of Merrimac.

Source: Merrimac Master Plan, 2002, "Cultural Resources," pg. 2.25. 495

C
Obt a i n i n g a C e me t e r y Pe r mit

Any party planning a new cemetery in Merrimac must acquire a special

permit to proceed. During the permitting process, the property owner and H AV E R H I L L
L and U se
an applicant (for example, a developer) must take part in a “preconceptual KEY
conference” with the town planning board. This meeting is a chance for the Agr iculture
Commercial
applicant to present the proposed cemetery plans to the planning board Forest

at an open, public meeting. In turn, it is a chance for the planning board High-Density Housing
Industr ial
to respond with questions that will need to be answered in order for the Lower-Density Housing
M o d e r ate - De ns i ty H o us i ng
application to move forward and receive final approval. Questions posed Urban Open Space
Other
by the planning board may relate to vehicular access, infrastructural needs, Recreation

environmental impact, and intentions for property management. 0 1 mile

N

LA N D IN MERRIM AC Land Use

Like many towns in the surrounding region, Merrimac was cleared to make way for
industry along riverbanks and for farming and pasture in the uplands. Today a densely
populated residential and commercial corridor is located along Main Street (Route 110).
A rural, heavily forested landscape, characterized by small hills and the post-agricultural
southern New England hardwood forest, covers most of northern Merrimac.

About 9–10 percent of Merrimac’s total land is steeply sloped or contains wetlands, and
17 percent of its remaining vacant land—about 1,600 acres—has significant natural-
resource value because of wetlands, streams, sloped topography, location within the
watershed, or wildlife habitat. The majority of this land, though widely recognized as
24 unsuitable for residential or commercial development, remains unprotected.
 N EW TON, NH N E W TO N , N H
A M E S B U RY
AME S BU RY
108 108

SITE SITE
110 110

495 495

HAVERH IL L KEY Zoning H AV E R H I L L O pen S pace a n d

Water Supply Recreat i on
Protection Distr ict
Agr icultur al- KEY
Residential
State
Commercial
City of Haverhill
Industr ial Water Supply
Residential Town of Mer r imac
Mer r imac
Suburban-Residential Improvement Society
Mobile Home Par k Far m
Distr ict
Wetland Wetland
0 1 mile 0 1 mile
N N

Zoning Open Space and Recreation

A majority of the land in Merrimac, including the DiBitteto parcel, is zoned
agricultural-residential (AR). This categor y includes forest and agricultural land
as well as low- and moderate-density housing. Lot size (2 acres) and frontage
distance (200 feet) in the AR district direct the construction of low-density
housing, the primar y development pattern in rural Merrimac over the past fifty
years. The subdivision of land has resulted in decentralized suburban develop-
ment and increased pressure on aging infrastructure. The construction of new
homes in rural par ts of Merrimac has also led to an increase in demand for local
water sources and a call for the permanent protection of well-recharge zones.
A great deal of the protected open space in Merrimac is under the control
of municipal or nonprofit organizations, though much open space remains
unprotected. The DiBitetto parcel is located in a section of Merrimac that has
no protected open space, though the surrounding area is heavily forested and
contains many wetlands—an ecologically significant and sensitive landscape that
would benefit from conser vation and protected status.

25
 L eve l s o f L a n d Protection in the Perkins
Conser vation
Com m o n we a l t h o f Ma ssa chuse tts Area
A MES BU RY
Legal Definitions

• In Perpetuity: Legally protected in perpetuity and recorded N E W TO N , N H

as such in deed or other legal document. Land is considered

protected in perpetuity if it is owned by the town’s Water Supply
conser vation commission or water department; if a town Protection District
has a conser vation restriction on the property in perpetuity;
Town Forest
if it is owned by a state conser vation agency; if it is owned
by a nonprofit land trust; or if the town received federal or
state assistance for the purchase or improvement of the
property. SITE

• Temporar y: Legally protected but not in perpetuity. Includes

short-term conser vation restrictions, Chapter 61 lands,
and other areas such as water-district lands, which are 495
protected only as long as they are primarily used as water
resources. P LAI STOW,
NH
110
• Limited: Protected by legal mechanisms other than those
108
above or through functional or traditional use. These lands
might be protected by municipal vote. This designation
includes lands such as cemeteries and golf courses, which
HAVE R HI LL
are likely to remain as open space for reasons other than WES T
N EWBU RY
those listed above.
Source: Massachusetts Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 0 1 mile
Open Space Mapping Project N

L AND PROTECTI O N Protected Land in Merrimac

Of Merrimac’s 5,564 acres, about 1,057 acres, or 19 percent, qualify as permanently protected.

& CON SERVATI ON While much of central Merrimac has been developed for commercial and residential use,
stands of mature forest, a significant local natural resource, remain in the nor thern and western
sections of Merrimac. Many of these forested areas are privately owned, though the town of
Merrimac has acquired 957 acres of ecologically significant open space through purchase or gift.
These holdings include the permanently preser ved town forest—a 289-acre, centrally located
conser vation area—and the 112-acre Perkins Conser vation Area.

Past successes in protecting open space in Merrimac are owed almost entirely to a histor y
of local, municipal initiative. Unlike in many towns in Essex County, none of Merrimac's open
space is owned or protected by nonprofit conser vation groups. Additionally, Merrimac has no
recreation land or facilities owned by private nonprofit or for-profit organizations. The combined
land holdings of nonprofit religious or charitable groups total 24 acres and are located primarily
in the densely populated downtown district along West Main Street.

26

SITE
Merrimac
ES S EX COUNTY
Atlantic Ocean
0 20 miles
N
The Essex County Greenbelt Association
Since 1961, the Essex County Greenbelt Association has protected more
than 13,000 acres of land. Today, the ECGBA owns 200 properties, manages
4,800 acres, holds more than 150 conservation restrictions and/or agricultural-
preservation restrictions on more than 5,000 acres of private land throughout
Essex County, and has assisted in conserving an additional 3,000 acres.
The ECGBA has a particular interest in acquiring contiguous areas of protected
land to serve as greenbelts; preserving natural resources such as rivers, streams,
fields, and forest; protecting biodiversity and wildlife habitat while providing
opportunities for human land access and land use; and fostering the creation of
trail systems and recreation spaces.
Currently, the ECGBA has few holdings in northern Essex County and none in
Merrimac. A conservation easement on the DiBitetto parcel would represent a
precedent for both the ECGBA and the town of Merrimac.
C onser vat ion Rest r ic t ion s in M as s ac h u s et t s
In order to protect conservation values on public and private land, states have created
conservation easements, a type of land-protection contract that is perpetual and enforceable
by law. A conservation restriction is defined as a “negative easement”—a restriction that a
landowner willingly places on his or her development rights, enforceable by an outside holder.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that conservation easements receive both
city and state approval in order to remain permanently in force. In Massachusetts, the term
conservation restriction is given to easements that have been met with full approval
(Massachusetts General Laws, Ch. 184, § 31–33).
Conservation restrictions:
• Preserve open space
• Conserve wildlife habitat
• Protect water quality
• Preserve farmland and timberland
• Buffer public land
• Maintain the character of rural communities
• Maintain landscapes for tourism
• Require little in terms of public services
• Often generate local revenue
Source: Waltham Land Trust, “Conservation Easements in Massachusetts”;
the Nature Conservancy; Mass Audubon
Land Trusts and Conservation Burial
In 2005, the Green Burial Council introduced the idea of conservation burial at the annual
meeting of the Land Trust Alliance.
Conservation burial is green burial that furthers a legitimate conservation purpose. For
example, when a person chooses to be buried at a conservation burial ground, plot and
interment fees help pay for the site's land-management costs and property taxes, and they
contribute to the permanent protection of large parcels of open space and the natural
resources that they contain.
Contributions and memorial gifts made to participating land trusts can fund the purchase and
protection of additional land. In this way, conservation burial grounds honor and memorialize
the dead while providing and maintaining a healthy landscape for the living—humans, plant
communities, and wildlife.
27
 AME S BU RY

N E W TO N , N H

site
access

89

110

P L A I S TOW,
NH
V E RM ONT N EW HAMPSHI R E 93
108

95
H AV E R H I L L
91
495
WE S T NE WBU RY
MASSACHU SET T S

90

R HO DE 495
C O NNE C TIC UT
84 I SLAND

exit
95 52

0 50 miles 0 1 mile
N N

SI TE AC C ESS Location

Though the DiBitetto parcel is located in Massachusetts, accessing the site by vehicle requires travel
across the Massachusetts–New Hampshire state line. To follow the most direct route from the greater
Boston metropolitan area to the site, a driver would take Interstate 495 to exit 52, in Haverhill,
Massachusetts, and merge onto Route 110, which joins Route 108 about one mile south of the exit. At
the junction, the driver would head north on Route 108, passing through Plaistow, New Hampshire, and
into the town of Newton. The DiBitetto parcel is located just off a right-hand turn in a residential area.

28
 Transpor t ing B odies Ac ross S t at e Lines: Massachusetts General Law, Ch. 114, § 46:

• If a body is brought into a Massachusetts town for burial from outside the Commonwealth, it must be
acc accompanied by a removal permit issued under the laws of the state from which it was taken.
es
eas s
em
ent
• A removal permit is sufficient authority for burial. The local board of health will make and retain a copy of
this permit and return the original to the town from which it came.
Ne
wt
Pla o
ist n, N • If the body is not accompanied by a removal permit, it may not be buried until the local board of health
ow H
,N issues a burial permit. A burial permit is required to transport a body across any city or town line in
H
108 Me Massachusetts. This permit will not be issued until a certified copy of the death certificate has been given to
rri
Ha
ve
ma
c, the board.
rh MA 0' 500' Source: Massachusetts Board of Health Guidebook, Chapter 21, Cemeteries, “Procedures: Disposition, Removal and Transportation Permits,” p. 2.
ill,
MA N

drivew
ay/acc
ess ea
sem ent

Access Easement

The DiBitettos have obtained an access easement on their property, allowing vehicles to enter from
and exit onto Route 108. This access easement extends over part of a private driveway belonging to
an adjacent residential property. Despite the presence of the driveway, there is currently no place for
vehicles to park on the DiBitetto parcel. Existing conditions make direct access to the property possible
only on foot, through a densely vegetated wetland area.There is no clear pathway into the site or
demarcation of the site boundary at this time.

29
 0' 500'
N

the DiBITETTO PARCEL Site History

The study parcel has been in the DiBitetto family for generations, and over time, land use
has changed. Resource recovery, including extensive gravel mining and logging, has shaped
the landscape over the last thirty years, leaving significantly altered topography and soils.
Clear evidence of hunting and ATV activity can be found on the site today.

The southwestern corner of the parcel is located atop Brandy Brow Hill, at the meeting
point of four towns in two states. The site of the "four corners" is marked by a stone
monument, dated 1890.

Existing Landscape

Merrimac, Massachusetts, is part of the Merrimack River Valley. The Environmental

Protection Agency classifies the Merrimack River Valley as part of the southern New
England coastal-plains ecoregion, with topography marked by drumlins (hills made of till,
a mixture of sand, clay, and boulders) and flat deposits of outwash (stratified deposits of
sand and gravel). It is a landscape shaped by the recession of the Wisconsin glacier that
once covered all of New England.

The parcel is diverse mix of woodlands and wetlands, with two major uplands, which
were once farmland and pasture, and water at the low points, including in the former
gravel-pit areas. The East Meadow River runs along the northern edge of the site, flowing
south to the Merrimack River.
30
 Low-Density
Housing
Low-Density
Housing

SITE

108

Ne
wt
on
Pla ,N
ist H
ow
,N
H

Me
rri
ma
Ha c,
ve MA
Commercial rh
ill,
MA
Development
0' 500'
N

31
a n a ly s i s
 Me Ha
r r im ve r
ac , hill
MASSACHUSETTS MA ,M
A

Pla
isto
Ne w, N
v er wto H
n, N

Ri
w H
do
ea
M
Ea
st site

a
ea cce
se ss
abutting me
nt
proper ty

NEW HAMPSHIRE
8
10
ute
Ro

the
D i B itetto N
parcel not to scale

introduction
A site analysis explores the relationships between a site's significant physical, ecological, and aesthetic
characteristics in order to reveal the interplay between these elements and their implications for
potential future site uses.

Site Elements Each site feature is first considered in isolation. Existing conditions are inventoried, and the implications
of the existing site conditions for proposed uses are considered one by one.

Following the site inventory and analysis, all of the existing conditions are layered onto one summary
Wetlands & Rivers
analysis, in which the opportunities and constraints discovered during the previous stage are brought
Slopes & Drainage together on one map. The summary analysis highlights the areas of greatest opportunity and the areas
Soils & Groundwater of significant constraints.
Access & Circulation
Visual Features In the inventory/analysis for the DiBitetto parcel, the goal is to identify the areas of the site that will be
Plant Communities & Habitat best suited for burial, human access and building activities, and conservation and restoration.
NEW HAMPSHIRE

Ea

st
Me
ad o
w Rive
r
abutting
property

ac
8

eas cess
10

em MASSACHUSETTS
e

ent
ut
Ro

site

Pla
isto
Ne w,
N H
wto
n, N
H

N
Me 0' 400'
Ha rri
ve r ma
hill c, M
,M A
A

35
 Four delineated wetlands

E x i s ti n g Con ditions
Wet la nd s & Riv e r s
A large wetland takes up much of the former gravel-mining area on the site.
Two linear wetland areas occupy much of the site's interior, and a smaller
wetland lies at the site entrance.

Proximity to East Meadow River

The northeast corner of site lies within the 200' River Protection Area.

Three probable vernal pools

Per Mass. GIS data and observation. Other areas onsite may also function as
vernal pools.

Wetland with unknown boundaries on adjacent proper ty

wetlands
The westernmost wetland on the site continues into the area just south of the
easement in New Hampshire.

& rivers 60 percent of site (approximately 19 acres) lies within

buffer zones
The remaining 40 percent, approximately 13 acres, is mostly steep uplands.

Wetlands According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wet-

lands are “areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at
a frequency and duration sufficient to support … a prevalence of vegetation Buffer Zones: Laws and Bylaws
typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.” For years, people filled In Massachusetts, state law requires that a notice of intent regarding any proposed nonapproved activities within buffer
zones, including the construction of septic systems, be submitted for approval to the local conservation commission
wetlands in order to accommodate development. We now know that wet- or relevant municipal authority. In Newton, NH, a permit application must be submitted to the local conservation
lands clean stormwater by slowing it down, helping pollutants settle out and commission.
increasing the number of pollutants sequestered by plants; permit infiltration, ma rivers protection act 200' setback from mean annual high-water line of rivers and streams.
recharging the groundwater supply; and reduce runoff, helping to prevent Chapter 258 of the Acts of 1996 (Intermittent streams are not subject to the Rivers Protection Act.)
floods. Wetlands are also places of great biodiversity. ma wetlands protection act 100' setback around wetlands and the mean annual boundary of
Mass. General Laws Chapter 131 §40 qualifying certified vernal pools

Rivers The vegetated zone surrounding a river slows, captures, and merrimac, ma, bylaws Wetlands: 50' no-build zone, 25' no-disturbance zone
Additional restrictions Vernal Pools: 75' no-build zone, 50' no-disturbance zone
cleans stormwater; controls flooding and erosion; absorbs runoff, helping to
recharge groundwater; and maintains base flows in streams and rivers. It nh state Wetlands LAW No buffer zone law at the state level. A permit is required to dredge or
RSA 482-A fill wetlands.
also regulates riparian habitat conditions: many river species are harmed by
the intense pulse of runoff generated by a storm event in a developed area newton, nh, bylaws Wetland setbacks: 75' septic, 50' building. A new road may be
Additional restrictions permitted if it is “essential to the productive use of [non-wetland] land.”
where impervious surfaces have replaced the vegetated buffer zone.
 site characteristics
1 50' Newton, NH, no-build
zone around wetland

2 100’ MA wetlands
buffer zone
Ea
st

Me
3 200’ MA river buffer zone

ado
wR
NEW HAMPSHIRE

iv e r
4 Intermittent stream
Not subject to Rivers
2 3
Protection Act
1
8
10

e
ut
Ro 5 100’ MA vernal
6 pool buffer zone
Wetlands specialist can
confirm protected status.

4 6 Wetland on
adjacent proper ty
Unknown dimensions

Ne
wt
on
Pla ,N
isto H We t l a n d s a n d
w,
NH R i vers

5 KEY
MASSACHUSETTS
✩ P r ob abl e Ver n al Po o l

✱ Abu tti n g P r op er t y

Access E asem en t

I n ter m i tten t Str e a m

Me
rri Wetl an d
ma
0' 400' Ha c, M
ve r A B u f fer Z on e
hill
,M
N A

37
 Ha
ve r
hill
Me ,M
r r im A
ac ,
MA

MASSACHUSETTS

Pla
isto
w, N
Ne H
wto
n, N
H

r
ve
Ri
w
do
ea
M
st
Ea

wetland
(unknown dimensions)

8
10
ute Wet l ands a n d
Ro
Ri vers

KEY
NEW HAMPSHIRE
✩ P ro b a ble Ve r na l Po o l

✱ A but t ing P ro p e r t y

A c c e s s Ea s e m e nt

Int e r m it t e nt S t re a m

We t la nd
N Buffe r Z o ne

not to scale

38
 Directives Avoid disturbance in wetland buffer zones
Wetlan ds & Riv e r s Plan to direct high-impact activities such as burial into less sensitive upland areas.

Apply for permits as needed

Identify locations where disturbance may be necessary within a buffer zone and apply for appropriate permits. In the
case of the wetland straddling the state line at the site entrance, permits will be needed from both Massachusetts and
New Hampshire before work can begin on a road, a parking area, or any other major disturbance.

Address outstanding questions

Hire a professional to (a) delineate the wetland on the New Hampshire side of the site property line and (b) verify the
protected status of the vernal pool near the southern edge of the property.

39
 Steep slopes in upland areas

E x i s ti n g Con d i tions
Slop es & D ra ina ge
Greater than 15% slopes predominate in uplands, with gentler slopes (3–8%)
on hilltops.

Lowlands dominated by wetlands

Lowlands are for the most part inappropriate areas for major disturbances.

Two major high points

Potential suitable areas for burial.

All water drains to East Meadow River

SLOPES & Undeveloped sites such as the study parcel help clean stormwater runoff and
reduce the volume of runoff that drains into rivers.

DRA INAGE
Slopes Steep slopes are generally good places for burial because less
water infiltrates on a slope than on a flatter area, reducing the potential for
groundwater contamination. However, whenever steep slopes are disturbed
and vegetation is removed, as when a grave is dug, the potential for erosion SITE merrimac
arises. In addition, steep slopes are more difficult for people to navigate, es- an
oce
pecially if they are carrying a body to a funeral. A balance needs to be struck to atlantic
flow
between human comfort and the protection of water quality. Gently sloped of east
new meadow
uplands may be the best location for green burial. hamp
mass shire river
achu
setts
Drainage All of the stormwater flowing off the surface of the study
site eventually drains into the East Meadow River. The diagram to the right
shows that the East Meadow River passes through the Millvale Reservoir, a millvale reservoir
3 miles from site

iver
surficial drinking-water supply area. The reservoir is 3 miles away from the

ac r
site—far outside the recommended 800' buffer zone between a burial area

m
and potable-water source.

rri
me
It is important to keep in mind that, according to Massachusetts law, the rate
of stormwater runoff flowing off a property cannot be increased if any part
of the site is disturbed or developed.
 site characteristics
1 High point (284')
Potential suitable area for
burial

2 Local high point (210')

Potential suitable area for
Ea
st burial

Me
Low point (86')

ado
5 3
This and other lowland

wR
NEW HAMPSHIRE areas are less suitable for

iv e r
3 burial.

4 0-3% slopes on
easement land
Gentle entr y experience
8
10

e 4
ut
Ro Water flows toward
5
developed area, into East
Meadow River
Excellent onsite
2
infiltration helps maintain
good water quality offsite.

S l o p e s an d
Ne D r a i n a ge
wt
on
Pla ,N KEY
isto H
w,
NH 1
✩ P r ob abl e Ver n al Po o l

MASSACHUSETTS
✱ Abu tti n g P r op er ty

Access E asem en t

D r ai n age F l ow

Wetl an d

> 1 5 % sl op es
Me
rri 8 – 1 5 % sl op es
0' 400' ma
Ha c, M
ve r A 3 – 8 % sl op es
hill
N ,M
A

41
 Ha
ve r
hill
Me ,M
r r im A
ac ,
MA

MASSACHUSETTS

Pla
isto
w, N
Ne H
wto
n, N
H
r
ve
Ri
w
do
ea
M
st
Ea

8
10
u te
Ro

S l opes a n d
Drai nage
KEY
NEW HAMPSHIRE ✩ P ro b a ble Ve r na l Po o l

✱ A but t ing P ro p e r t y

A c c e s s Ea s e m e nt

Dr a ina g e Flow
N We t la nd
not to scale

42
 Directives Place burial grounds on sloped land
Gently sloped hilltops are likely the best places for a burial ground.
Slo pes & D ra in a ge
To provide access to hilltops, create walkable pathways on steep hillsides
Switchbacks may be necessary. Graves may be located along pathways, as at Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Mitigate increased runoff rates due to disturbance

To reduce downstream flooding and other potential storm damage, Massachusetts law states that the rate of stormwater
runoff following development must not exceed the rate of runoff prior to development. Because green cemeteries remain
primarily undeveloped landscapes, this should not be a difficult benchmark to meet. A stormwater management system
such as a constructed wetland will likely be necessary if a parking area is built.

Manage erosion
Use plants and other erosion-control methods to help stabilize disturbed soils.

43
 soils & Predominantly sandy loam and gravel soils

E x i s ti n g Con d i tions
Soils & G r ound wa te r
groundwater Paxton-series soils, likely very good for burial, are found throughout the entire
southern and central portions of the site. The highest uplands on the property
are all within the Paxton-series zone. Gravel soils, which are likely more
degraded in character, cover most of the northern part of the property.
Groundwater Though green burials are chemical-free, sources
of potable water near green cemeteries still need to be protected from
contamination. The process of decomposition produces foul-smelling Fairly deep water table
organic compounds that are not dangerous but can make well water
Monitoring wells in the central region of the property show that the water table
malodorous and repellent. Decomposition also produces nitrate, nitrite, and
other nonorganic compounds that are problematic in high concentrations. is 8' deep at the shallowest measurement.
Cadavers pose minimal disease risk if cemeteries are appropriately sited,
since most pathogens cannot survive for long without a host, but very rarely,
Developed area on well water to the west
certain long-lived pathogens, such as anthrax and the prions responsible for
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, as well as much-shorter-lived organisms such as Property survey shows existing well near easement, in area of residential
gastrointestinal bacteria, may survive and enter the drinking water supply if a development. Land to the north, east, and south is currently not developed.
cemetery is located too close to a well or reservoir or is too crowded.
Studies vary wildly in estimates of how far cemeteries should be from
potable water sources to protect drinking-water quality. Estimates range
from 100' to 820'. The map on the facing page shows a buffer zone of 800'
from nearby wells. This is a preliminary and conservative estimate of a safe
burial distance.

Soils The ideal soil for burial is that which both dilutes and disperses
potential contaminants and permits aerobic decomposition. Studies generally Soil Types on Site
agree that moderately drained to well-drained sandy loams are best suited to
Paxton fine sandy loam Likely a very good burial matrix. Smaller soil particles adsorb potential
do both. For soil to adequately filter the products of decomposition, the foot Extremely stony, slopes 8–15%, 25–35% contaminants well; drainage is good; soil is well aerated.
of graves should be 1.6' to 3.3' above groundwater in sandy soil; ideally, the
hinckley loamy sand
total depth from the soil surface to the water table should be 8.2' to 11.5', to Slopes 8–15%
Also likely good for burial. Soil is less easily eroded than Paxton series.
account for fluctuations in the water table. Bodies buried at a shallow depth,
between 3.5' and 4'—where there is more organic matter—will decompose hinckley fine sandy loam
Slopes 8–15% N/A for burial (soil type on easement land)
faster than bodies buried at the traditional 6'. In aerobic conditions, as in
pits, sand, gravel / pits, gravel, Gravel soils may be too permeable for burial. Odors may escape;
a sandy soil, it takes approximately 5 to10 years for a body to completely
Covers site of former gravel mine contaminants may enter the groundwater too quickly.
decompose; in clayey or wet soils, it can take more than 50 years, making clay
an undesirable soil type for burial. Clay soils are also more difficult to dig in scarboro mucky fine sandy loam Not appropriate for burial. Anaerobic conditions may prevail in muck.
Slopes 0–1%. On former gravel mine.
than sandy soils.
 Well-water supply area

site characteristics
1
Water-quality area of
concern

2 Depth to groundwater
mu per property monitoring wells
ck Ea
st a. 10'
b. 8'

Me
c. 13.5'

ado
d.10'

wR
pits,
NEW HAMPSHIRE e. 14.4'

iv e r
hin gravel
1
ck f. 10'
ley
san fin g. 17.5'
dy
loa e h. no groundwater
m b detected
g
f d c

d
i. no groundwater
8

an
10

e
e a

ys
ut pit detected
Ro s, s

am
an 80 2

lo
d, 0'
gr
ave Prime burial area

ey
3
l i 3

kl
Good burial soils 800'

nc
h
d

hi
an

or more from well area,

ys

outside wetland buffer

m

zones
loa

paxton series
ey
ckl
hin

Ne
wt
on
Pla ,N
isto H
w,
NH

S o i l s and
MASSACHUSETTS G ro u n d w at er
KEY

✱ Abu tti n g P r op er ty

Access E asem en t
Me
rri
ma
0' 400' Ha c, M G o o d bu r i a l s o i l s 8 0 0 '
ve r A or m or e f r om wel ls
hill
N ,M
A

45
 Ha
ve r
hill
Me ,M
r r im A
ac ,
MA

MASSACHUSETTS

Pla
isto
w, N
Ne H
wto
paxton series n, N
H
nd
r y sa
ve l oam
Ri kle
y
w c
hin
do
ea
M
st

pit
Ea

y s,
sa
kle
c d nd
hin y san , gr
am av
muck pits, gravel lo hin el
ck
ley
fin
lo es
am an
dy

8
10
te
R ou
S oi l s a n d
NEW HAMPSHIRE
G roundw at er
KEY

✱ A but t ing P ro p e r t y

A c c e s s Ea s e m e nt

N G o o d bu r i a l s o i l s 8 0 0 '
o r m o re fro m we lls
not to scale

46
 Directives Evaluate suitability of gravel soils for green burial
Soils & G ro u n dwat e r Hire a soil scientist determine whether or not the gravel soils are too fast-draining for burial.

Determine how well the Paxton soils will remove contaminants

Result should provide sufficient information to make an accurate estimate of how far any new burial ground should be from
the developed area to the west.

Study the erosion potential of the Paxton soils

A soil scientist can help determine whether these easily erodible soils will present a problem for burials, and will be able to
recommend ways to control erosion if a burial ground is located on Paxton-series soils.

47
 Access easement passes directly by residential home

Ac c es s & Circ ul a tio n

E x i s ti n g Con d i tions
The house faces the access easement and is only a few yards away, as shown
below.

access & No defined entry experience

No visible signals denoting access-easement boundaries or site boundary, as
shown below.

circulation Incomplete circulation system

Existing trails do not form loops or extend throughout the whole of the site.
Access In a green cemetery, the presence of motor vehicles should be
limited to the parking lot, which should be sited in an area of least ecologi- Trail damage from ATVs entering from trails to the east
cal sensitivity. There are a few exceptions: a green cemetery might consider ATV use has caused erosion on existing trails on site.
keeping small vehicles such as golf carts on the property so that when in-
dividuals with limited mobility are part of a funeral party, cemetery staff No parking area
members may transport them to funeral sites. Main pathways should be
Entire site is undeveloped forest land.
wide enough to accommodate not only such carts but also trucks, which will
be needed from time to time for site maintenance, and possibly backhoes.
The green cemetery ethic mandates that graves be hand-dug. In practice, this Wetland where the access easement enters site
may or may not always be feasible. In extremely stony soil such as the soil Permits from both Newton, NH, and Merrimac, MA, must be granted for a road
on the study site, a backhoe may be necessary, but its use should be avoided to be created where the wetland intersects with the site entrance.
whenever possible.

Circulation Paths accessible to vehicles and pedestrian trails should be

sited in a way that minimizes ecological disturbance. Vehicle-accessible paths
are likely to cause more disturbance than trails and should be placed in the
least sensitive areas on a site. Any roads or trails proposed within a wetland
area or river buffer zone must be approved prior to construction. access easement
(approx. location)
A well-planned network of trails enriches the human experience of place.
For instance, a trail may be planned so that it alternately reveals and obscures
compelling site features along a trail. This can heighten curiosity, build antici-
pation, and create the sense of a journey with a destination. A trail network
might also include resting points for contemplation and reflection, states of
mind often inspired by scenic overlooks, or it might showcase the special and abutting home
unique natural features of the site, which can facilitate both educational op-
portunities and aesthetic appreciation.
 site characteristics
1 Easement passes close
to residential home

2 Incomplete circulation
system
Ea
st

Me
2 3 ATV entr y point

ado
wR
NEW HAMPSHIRE

iv e r
4 Wetland at site entr y
point

4 3
8

1
10

u te
Ro

A cce s s a n d
C i rcu l at i on
Ne KEY
wt
on
Pla
isto
,N
H ✩ P r ob abl e Ver n a l Po o l
w,
NH ✱ Abu tti n g P r op e r t y

Access E asem e nt

MASSACHUSETTS E xi sti n g Tr ai l

➜ E n tr an ce Poi n t

Wetl an d

> 1 5 % sl op es

Me 8 – 1 5 % sl op es
rri
0' 400' ma
Ha c, M 3 – 8 % sl op es
ve r A
N hill
,M
A

49
 Ha
ve r
hill
Me ,M
r r im A
ac ,
MA

MASSACHUSETTS

Pla
isto
w, N
Ne H
wto
n, N
H
r
ve
Ri
w
do
ea
M
st
Ea

Access a n d
8 C i rcul at i on
10
o ute KEY
R

NEW HAMPSHIRE
✩ P ro b a ble Ve r na l Po o l

✱ A but t ing P ro p e r t y

A c c e s s Ea s e m e nt

Ex is t ing Tr a il

➜ Ent r a nc e Po int

N We t la nd

not to scale

50
 Directives Gain buy-in from the owners of the abutting proper ty
The fact that the access easement passes just feet from the abutter's house may prove to be the single most limiting
Acce ss & Circu la t io n factor identified in the feasibility study. If a green cemetery is green-lit, all parties concerned must gauge the homeowner's
acceptance of increased foot and vehicle traffic and a new road. Without buy-in, it may become difficult to move forward.
Consider what to do if this option fails.

Create an entry experience

The design of the gateway area should signal a transition into a special, sacred space.

Obtain permits from MA and NH to create a road over the wetland at the site entry point
If permits are granted to create a road over the wetland at the site entrance. parking might ideally be located just north of
the entrance wetland, a relatively gentle area of the former gravel mine.

Create clear site circulation for pedestrians and vehicles

Vehicle-accessible pathways should avoid wetlands and buffer zones as much as possible.

Close off the entry point for ATVs

ATVs have caused soil erosion on existing trails throughout the site and are not compatible with a green cemetery.

51
 Entrance

E x i s ti n g Con d i tions
V is ua l Fea ture s
The access easement passes over an asphalt driveway and leads into densely
vegetated wetlands. There is no visual sense of arrival into a special place.

Hilltop views
Vistas are found at the high points.

Wetland views
High elevations offer direct views of wetlands, which can be difficult to view at
eye level because of dense vegetation.

Special site features

Stone walls, large glacial erratics, majestic old trees, small streams, and quiet
pools of water all contribute to visual interest on the site.

visual features
Scenic Views & Vistas
 site characteristics
1
MASSACHUSETTS
access
NEW HAMPSHIRE easement

Ea
st
Me a
2

dow
R ive r
wetland at site


entrance
6
1

2

8
10

t e 3
ou

R 5
4


panorama from
Brandy Brow Hill

EXISTING 4
TRAIL
view downhill,
into wetland

Ne V i s u a l Fe a t u re s
wt
Pla on
ist ,N  KEY
ow H
,N 3
H
✩ Probable Vernal Pool
5
 Abutting Property

Access Easement

0' 400' Ha Me
ve rri Wetland
rh ma hilltop approach
N ill,
MA c,
MA

6 white
pine
corridor

53
 Directives Create a memorable aesthetic experience
Identify and direct attention to unusual and dramatic features of the site. Careful trail planning can set both
V isu al F e at u r e s the pace and the tone of the visitor experience.

Highlight wetlands—at a distance

People are naturally attracted to water. Wetlands may be the best place for watching birds and wildlife
and learning about the natural value of the site, but, at the same time, keeping wetlands safe from human
disturbance is a top priority.

55
 plant Historically disturbed habitat in the nor th

E x i s ti n g Con ditions
P l a n t Com m unit ies & H a bita t
The landscape of the northern region of the site attests to the area's former use

communities as a gravel mine. Manmade hummocks and depressions found in this part of the
site are probably areas where gravel was removed. Gravel would have been taken
from the mineral layer of the soil; to access this, topsoil would have been dug up

& habitat and moved out of the way, probably accounting for the hummocks. The natural
soil horizons that support healthy plant communities and good-quality habitat are
likely to be highly disturbed and disrupted in many parts of this area.

Good-quality habitat concentrated in the south

Plant Communities Plant communities are associations of Notably limited presence of aggressive invasives. A wide range of native plants
herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees that are typically found in similar soil and and animals was observed in both upland and wetland habitats during the April
climate conditions. A common plant community in New England, and one 2010 site walk: salamander eggs were observed in vernal pools; hermit thrushes
that predominates on the study site, is mixed hardwood forest. The forest were heard near Brandy Brow Hill; tupelos and alders were found flourishing in
on the site is clearly second growth; most trees are still relatively young, and the wetlands.
there is evidence, including the presence of red cedar and grapevine, that
the southern part of the property was recently a field, probably abandoned
Entire site is a Massachusetts Natural Heritage and
within the last forty years, give or take. Since that time, the ecological process
Endangered Species Program priority habitat
of succession has changed the landscape: woodland tree species have moved
Priority-habitat status originates from fact that the area contains excellent
in to take the place of the sun-loving field species and, in doing so, have
Blandings turtle habitat. The Blandings turtle is a threatened species in
fostered an entirely new plant community. Given time, this site could become
Massachusetts. It depends on vernal pools for nesting and food. By law, any new
an old-growth forest—a relatively rare type of forest that often contains
project in a priority-habitat area must be submitted for review by the NHESP for
unusual and sensitive plant and animal species.
compliance with the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.
The site also includes wetland plant communities, which include many species
specially adapted to grow only in hydric soils and which will not survive if
these soil conditions are altered.
Blandings tur tle
Emydoidea blandingii
Habitat Soil and climate conditions determine what type of plant
communities will grow on a site, and the plant communities determine the

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

type of habitat that is available to animals.The health of the plant communities
also determines the quality of the habitat. In April 2010, a site walk was
conducted in which biologist Jim McDougall, formerly of the Essex County
Greenbelt Association, observed that the southern part of the site had very
good habitat value, based largely on the plant species observed and the
almost complete absence of aggressive nonnative species. The northern part
of the property, with a recent history of major soil disturbance, likely contains
lower-quality habitat.
 site characteristics
1 Small patch of
NEW HAMPSHIRE aggressive invasive
Celastrus orbiculatus

Ea
(Oriental bittersweet)

st
Me a
obser ved in general

dow
region.
probable 4

R ive r
disturbed
habitat 2 Approximate location
of unusually large,
ver y old black birch
(approx. 42" diameter
8
10

e at breast height).
ut
Ro 3 Possible scenic feature.
probable
quality
habitat
3 Hummocks and
depressions, evidence
of gravel mining,
obser ved in area.
Disturbance is likely
to have created less
favorable habitat
conditions.
P l a n t C o m mu n i t i e s
Ne an d H a b i t a t
wt
Pla on
ist ,N KEY
ow H 2 4 Dominance of white
,N
pine in wet lowland
H
✩ Probable Vernal Pool
area testifies to
MASSACHUSETTS
1
 Abutting Property recent clearing and
Access Easement
disturbance: white
pines sprout in full-sun
0' 400' Ha Me Wetland conditions.
ve rri
rh ma
N ill,
MA c,
MA

57
 Ha
ve r
hill
Me ,M
r r im A
ac ,
MA

MASSACHUSETTS
Pla
isto
w, N
Ne H
wto
n, N
H
r
ve
Ri
w
do
ea
M
st
Ea

Pl ant C ommuni t i es a n d
8
10 Habi t at
ute
Ro KEY
NEW HAMPSHIRE ✩ P ro b a ble Ve r na l Po o l

✱ A but t ing P ro p e r t y

A c c e s s Ea s e m e nt

We t la nd
P ro b a ble G o o d -
Q ua lit y H a b it a t
N P r o b a bl e D i s t u r b e d
H a b it a t
not to scale

58
 Limit high-disturbance activities such as parking to the nor thern par t of the site
D irectives The good-quality habitat in the south should remain protected.
Plant Co m m u n it ie s
& H a bit a t Plan burials to minimize disturbance and maximize ecological benefit
By supporting plant life and building soil, green burial can and should support rich, diverse plant communities and high-quality
habitat. Burial in good-quality habitat areas should not pose a problem if burials are distributed over time and space.

Develop a forest management plan

Study Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 61. Follow forestry best management practices. Consult with biologists to determine
how to restore degraded areas, maintain good-quality habitat, and manage for succession.

Be prepared for hemlock woolly adelgid disease

The woolly adelgid is devastating hemlocks throughout New England. The site's hemlock stands may need to be removed.

Submit plans for review by the Mass. Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program
By law, any work proposed within priority habitat must be submitted for review to check for compatibility with the Massachusetts
Endangered Species Act.

59
r e c o mm endations
 Wetlands & Rivers

Slopes & Drainage

S YNTHESIS &
F IN DINGS Soils & Groundwater

Recommended
Zones of Land Use Access & Circulation

By isolating one site feature at a time and distilling the opportunities

and constraints each one presents for proposed site uses, the site
analysis shows how these proposed site uses—burial, human access and
building activities, and conservation and restoration—can be integrated
into the landscape in a way that protects and supports the site’s Plant Communities
plant life, animal habitat, and natural processes. The map to the far & Habitat
right was created by synthesizing the analysis findings to identify the
optimal locations for each proposed site activity.
Restoration

Parking/Buildable

Burial

Recommended Burial Burial: Recommended Location The dark green region shows the
recommended location for burial. It encompasses an upland area
Wetlands and Buffer Zones outside the preliminary recommended buffer zone of 800 feet from
wells and potable-water sources, and it is far from developed areas,
making it a secluded and protected area. Fur thermore, it can be
accessed from the site entrance without the need to cross over any
wetlands or through any wetland buffer zones other than those at
8
10

t the site entrance, lowering the potential for ecological disturbance

e

ou
R and reducing the need for permits. This area may be expanded if a
soil scientist confirms the safety of a lesser buffer zone.
Burial: Potential Locations The lighter green areas have been identified
as other upland areas suitable for burial. Access to the two southernmost
patches requires placing a vehicle-accessible path through wetlands,
making them less desirable candidates for burial-ground status.
Human Access & Building Activities The best location for parking
and any building activities, shown in yellow, has been identified in an
area of the site that is likely to contain disturbed soils and lower-
quality habitat. The recommended location is also adjacent to the
site entrance and on the edge of the proper ty, so it is in area already
likely to feel the effects of disturbance. To fur ther minimize ecological
damage, any new parking area or building should take up as little of
this recommended location as possible.
Conservation/Restoration The green areas are the best places for
conservation. The area in pink, which covers much of the former gravel-
N mine site, appears to be the best place for restoration, due to the
0 400'
probability of degraded habitat in the area. Restoration is an important
consideration if conservation-burial-ground status is a desired project
outcome.

Summary Analysis
63
 Cost & Density
Restoration Alternative 1
Parking/Buildable

northern hill, eastern side (A)

Burial

8.5% of total land area

northern hill all (A+B)

all upland (A+B+C+D)

17% of total land area

33% of total land area

Recommended Burial

Wetlands and Buffer Zones

2.75 acres

5.5 acres

11 acres
Scenic Overlook

8
10
100 bodies/acre
t

e
$2000/burial $550,000 $1.1 million $2.2 million ou
R
B
100 bodies/acre A
$4000/burial $1.1 million $2.2 million $4.4 million

The table above describes the outcomes of two different costs per burial C
at a burial density currently considered to be low-impact.

Many green cemeteries bury at a density of about 100 bodies per acre.
Conventional-cemetery burial density is about 1,000 bodies per acre. D
A lower burial density minimizes disturbance to the land, an important
consideration for a conservation burial ground.

The cost of conservation burial varies from cemetery to cemetery. A

figure between $2,000 and $4,000 is often quoted by several green
cemeteries in the eastern United States. This figure includes the cost of
N
0 400'
interment and property maintenance and, often, a contribution to an
associated land trust or conservation organization, helping more land to
be purchased and protected.
If it is determined that the maximum potential area should be used for burial, an extensive vehicle-accessible trail is recommended.
The trail in Alternative 1 connects each burial area and minimizes disturbance to wetlands and buffer zones as much as possible,
passing through uplands whenever feasible.
64
 Interment Phasing
Restoration Alternative 2
Parking/Buildable
I
Burial Distributing burial over time and
space results in minimal environmental
Recommended Burial disturbance.

Wetlands and Buffer Zones

Scenic Overlook
II
Planning for changing or fluctuating
burial needs allows for adaptive
8

placement of bodies in accordance

10

t
e

ou
with what is most appropriate and
R ecologically sound.

III
Bodies should not be placed directly
next to each other over short periods
of time. A loose burial plan that
prioritizes the protection of natural
assets is preferable to a rigid grid
system.

Recommended Burial
Alternative 1 entails an extensive permitting and approval process.
The Merrimac Conservation Commission would have to approve the
construction of a road through several site wetlands if burial access to
Brandy Brow Hill were desired. Additionally, site plans would have to
be reviewed by state agencies for compliance with the Massachusetts
N Endangered Species Act, due to the presence of potential Blandings
0 400' turtle habitat.

Alternative 2 is less invasive and minimizes disturbance to wetlands. The

burial area is more easily accessible, being centrally located on the site.
The vehicle-accessible trail system proposed above in Alternative 2 provides the most direct access to the recommended burial
area, passing through a wetland area and buffer-zone land only at the site entrance.

65
 Legal
& Financial
RECOMMENDATIONS &
NEXT STEPS Obtain permits from the Merrimac Board of Health and the town planning
board.

Apply for a conservation restriction from state and local authorities and for
designation as a conservation burial ground from the Green Burial Council.

Consider how to work with the abutter. Have a checklist of potential roadblocks
and identify how to avoid or overcome them.

If burial is wanted on Brandy Brow Hill, explore how difficult it would be to

obtain permits to build vehicle-accessible paths through the wetlands and buffer
zones. Explore whether another easement might be obtained offering more
direct, wetland-free access to the top of Brandy Brow Hill. Or consider making
Brandy Brow Hill a contemplative space rather than a burial area.

Hire a lawyer to deal with property-ownership and site-access issues, fully

elucidate state laws about body transportation and environmental protection,
and argue why the cemetery should be granted a conservation restriction by
state and local authorities.

Form a cemetery corporation.

 Ecological Social
Hire a team of experts to help draft a restoration plan for the northern part of Cultivate a strong project team. Strengthen existing relationships, incorporate
the site (the former gravel-mine region) and a conservation plan for the southern new relationships, and explore potential new partners.
part of the site.

Experts consulted should include: Explore outreach and education opportunities to gain community buy-in. Develop
allies in the community.
a soil expert, to assess the capacity of the site's soils to sustain a green-burial
ground; Research fund-raising opportunities.

a wildlife expert, to identify wildlife habitat needs and priority conservation

areas, as well as potential connections between habitat on the site and habitat in Revisit the site and look at it with more informed eyes. Give tours to others—
the surrounding regions; and they may see things in a new or different light.

a wetlands expert, who can certify the vernal pools on the site, determine
the extent of the wetland south of the access easement in New Hampshire, and
speak to the potential for disturbance posed by burial and new roads and trails.

67
C O N C LUS ION
The DiBitetto parcel presents a welcome opportunity to create the first green
cemetery in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts—an opportunity to help shape
the face of green burial in New England by providing leadership and vision as this
new practice gains cultural currency here and throughout the country. The parcel's
combination of scenic beauty, biological richness, and proximity to one of the nation's
major cities all present exciting opportunities for positive action.

Recognizing that the creation of new cultural landscapes is a long-term endeavor,

we hold the fundamental and sincere hope that this document will help lay the
groundwork for green burial in Massachusetts by providing valuable information and
inspiration to all who may find it of use.

69
 Sources
Information depicted in all maps contained in this document is for planning purposes only and is not for construction, legal definition, or regulatory interpretation.

All maps were in this document created using the following data sources: MassGIS (www.mass.gov/mgis), Google Earth, Google Maps (http://maps.google.com ) and
Bing Maps (http://www.bing.com/maps). All data accessed between January and June 2010.

All aerial photographs in this document are from Google Earth and Bing Maps. All photographs accessed between January and June 2010.
All site photographs taken by K. Benisek and K. Gehron.

WHAT IS GREEN BURIAL?

The Green Burial Council. http://www.greenburialcouncil.org. "Who We Are" and "What We Do."
Harris, Mark. Grave Matters. New York: Scribner, 2008.

BURIAL TODAY
Bechhoefer, Rachel, and Katharine Gehron. "Urban Ground." Student project prepared for Mount Auburn Cemetery. Conway School of Landscape Design,
2009.
Harris, Mark. Grave Matters. New York: Scribner, 2008.

CONSERVATION BURIAL
http://www.greenburialcouncil.org. "FAQs & fictions."

THE MERRIMACK RIVER WATERSHED

The Merrimack River Watershed Council. http://www.merrimack.org. "Watershed: Geography."

LAND IN MERRIMAC
The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. http://www.mvpc.org.
Merrimac Master Plan. Community Oppor tunities Group, Inc., Boston, MA, Connery Associates, Melrose, MA, and Abend Associates, Burlington, MA, 2002.
Chapters 2, 3, and 4.
Maps of Land Use, Zoning, and Open Space and Recreation based on original maps by J. Barrett at Community Oppor tunities Group, Inc. Data sources:
MassGIS, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission.
Town of Merrimac Open Space & Recreation Plan, Community Oppor tunities Group, Inc., Boston, MA, 2006.

LAND PROTECTION & CONSERVATION

Christy, Stephen F., "The Final Stop for Land Trusts." (The Land Trust Alliance Exchange (newsletter). Spring 2007. (downloadable PDF).
Massachusetts Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Open Space Mapping Project, http://www.mass.gov/mgis/osp.htm. "Protected and Recreational Open

70
Space." February, 2010. "Definitions of 'Level of Protection'".
Merrimac Master Plan. Community Oppor tunities Group, Inc., Boston, MA, Connery Associates, Melrose, MA, and Abend Associates, Burlington, MA, 2002.
Chapters 2, 3, and 4.
Massachusetts General Laws, Ch. 184, § 31–33.
The Essex County Greenbelt Association. www.ecga.org.
The Waltham Land Trust. www.walthamlandtrust.org. "Conservation Easements in Massachusetts."
The Nature Conservancy and Mass Audubon. "Conservation Easements in Massachusetts" and "About Conservation Easements," 2005 (downloadable PDF).

SITE ACCESS
Massachusetts General Laws, Ch. 114, § 46.
The Massachusetts Board of Health Guidebook, Chapter 21, Cemeteries, "Procedures: Disposition, Removal and Transpor tation Permits," p. 2.

WETLANDS & RIVERS

Massachusetts Rivers Protection Act.
Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act.
Merrimac Conservation Commission, Town of Merrimac, MA. Wetlands Protection Regulations, effective 9/8/04 (downloadable PDF).
New Hampshire Chapter 482-A.
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. “RSA 483-B Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act: A Summary of the Standards” (downloadable PDF).
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service website (plants.usda.gov/wetland.html). “Wetland Indicator Status.”
www.epa.gov. “Values and Functions of Wetlands: Fact Sheet” (downloadable PDF).
www.epa.gov. “Wetlands Definitions" (downloadable PDF).
Duff, Elizabeth. “Understanding the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act." www.massaudubon.org (downloadable Word document).

SLOPES & DRAINAGE

"Changes to the Massachusetts Stormwater Management Standards," January 1, 2008. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection website (downloadable
PDF).

SOILS & GROUNDWATER

Formanek, Paula Anne. "An Assessment of Groundwater Contamination at Cemetery Sites." Unpublished thesis, December 1997.
Healing, T. D., P. N. Hoffman, and S. E. J. Young. "The infection hazards of human cadavers." Communicable Disease Report Review, volume 5, review number 5,
April 28, 1995, pp. R62–R76.
Morgan, Oliver. "Infectious disease risks from dead bodies following natural disasters." Pan Am Public Health Review 15(5) 2004, pp. 307–332.
Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Depar tment of Agriculture. "Custom Soil Resource Repor t for Essex County, Massachusetts, Nor thern Par t;
and Rockingham County, New Hampshire: Brandy Brow Hill Parcel."
Site walk with biologist Jim McDougall.

PLANT COMMUNITIES & HABITAT

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/regulatory_review/mesa/mesa_project_review.htm (NHESP law explanation).
71
AC KNOW LED GE M E N T S
We would like to thank Jim MacDougall of Biodiversity Consulting, and Bill Lattrell of Valley Environmental Services, for their expertise and guidance.

73