First ever forest-producing cemetery in North America to open in Quebec's Laurentians

When thinking about a cemetery, the terms eco-friendly, technology, immersiveness, and an interactive app do not immediately come to mind.

The cemetery of the Forest of the Second Life wants to change that.

The cemetery was developed in collaboration with forest engineers from the Institut des Territoires du Québec in order to encourage the growth of new trees at a time when the well-being of forests are being jeopardized.

"People will be able to bury their ashes under trees, an individual tree or family of trees," said Forest of the Second Life executive manager Fannie Tremblay. "We also have a section for pets, biodiversity prairies for pets and for people who would want to spread the ashes of their loved ones. We do also have an option for people who would like to plant their roots now."

The technological aspect of the cemetery is linked to the actual burial plots.

• LISTEN on CJAD 800 Radio: First ecological and digital eco-forest cemetery opens in Canada

Each deceased person will be geolocated in the forest, and at the foot of each tree, a virtual chest containing a bank of memories - including photos, 3D images, and videos - will be located.

The virtual chest will also include a biographical questionnaire related to the significant moments of their life -- all the information will be accessible via the app.

"Once you get on-site, you can log into the application and enter the name of the person you want to visit or your own name if you're coming to visit your own family tree, and then it will tell you the way to get to it, all the trees are geo-located," said Tremblay.

Environmentally, the cemetery also promises to stay just a forest forever.

"It guarantees to families that the trees are never going to be cut. There will never be anything else than a cemetery here, and even if the cemetery closes, their land will still stay protected," said Tremblay.

The cemetery is preparing for the inauguration on Thursday.

"So we did partner with some Quebec funeral homes to make sure our operations were working well and to make sure we were we were offering the best service we could before launching it to the public," said Tremblay.