A plain-language guide
What is terramation?
Terramation, also called natural organic reduction or human composting, is a gentle process that transforms a body into living soil over several weeks. It asks nothing of fire, chemicals, or concrete. It simply gives a person back to the earth, the way a forest floor renews itself, and it leaves behind soil that grows things.
How does the terramation process work?
- The laying-in. Your person is placed in a wooden Chrysalis™ vessel on a bed of wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. Your family is welcome to take part, adding flowers, letters, and words of farewell.
- The transformation. Over several weeks, warmth, moisture, and naturally occurring microbes do their quiet work, the same work that turns autumn leaves into spring soil. Nothing is forced, and nothing is hurried.
- Curing and rest. The new soil rests and cures for about thirty days, becoming rich, stable, and full of life.
- A return to the earth. What remains is about half a cubic yard of living soil. You may keep as much as you wish, to plant a memorial tree or enrich a garden, and the rest goes to conservation land we work with.
One thing people are often surprised to learn: it is peaceful to see. Families who tour our Care Center tell us the mystery was the scary part, and the reality was calm, warm, and even beautiful.
Questions families ask
- Is terramation legal in Colorado?
- Yes. Colorado legalized natural organic reduction in 2021, a law The Natural Funeral helped champion. We remain the only funeral home in the state that performs it.
- How long does terramation take?
- The transformation itself takes several weeks, followed by about thirty days of curing and rest. Most families receive or place the soil within two to four months.
- Is terramation a kind of burial?
- Not quite. It is its own path, one of four we offer, alongside natural burial, water cremation, and flame cremation. Rather than resting in the ground, your person is gently transformed into soil inside a wooden vessel. That soil can then return to the earth, beneath a memorial tree, in a garden, or on land they loved.
- What can the soil be used for?
- Families plant memorial trees, enrich gardens, and restore land their person loved. Under Colorado law the soil is never sold and is not used to grow food for people, and we honor both rules completely.
- Is it dignified?
- Deeply. Your person rests in a wooden Chrysalis™ vessel surrounded by wood chips, alfalfa, and straw, often with flowers and letters from their family. Nothing about it is industrial, and families are welcome at the laying-in.
- Can family take part?
- Yes, and many do. The laying-in ceremony welcomes family participation: placing flowers, sharing words, and simply being present. Some families also help place the finished soil.
Living outside Colorado? Through our TerraCare Partner Program, we help funeral homes bring terramation to their own communities.