Weird question

[Upidstay]

I have an odd question for you.

Does anyone know the nutrient content of cremated animal or human remains? A friend's dog died, and they had her cremated. They would like to plant a tree in her memory, interring her ashes in with the tree, either under it or mixed with the soil. This is also my final wish. I don't want a headstone, I want an oak. I'm figuring it won't harm the tree, just curious how beneficial it will be. Assuming it will have a fairly high calcium content, due to bone mass, but not sure what else it will contain.

 

[Urban Forester]

Interesting question.. The "ashes" left after cremation are not true ashes. They are bone fragments that are pulverized into a fine sand after cremation, sometimes by hand. The temperture range for a cremation is between 1400 - 2100 F. I believe that this would preclude any quanitative nutrients being present in the "ashes", even calcium. I can't believe there would be any harm (or benefit, other than emotional) to placing the ashes around the base of a tree. Actually its seems to be a nice memorial for a family pet.

 

[ATH]

I was at a session on organic fertilizers at the Ohio Tree Care Conference and the speaker gave a review of the carbon cycle. He said his sister wanted to be creamated and spread around the redwoods so she could become part of the trees. He said "well, we would be glad to do that, but you should know that you (ie: the carbon in your body) are just as likely to become part of a turnip or plastic bag"

But I would also assume there are little or no nutrients left after creamation.

 

[ddhlakebound]

When I first looked at this the first thing that occurred to me was using wood ashes on the garden. I know that trees and people are of entirely different compositions, but that doesn't affect elemental breakdown. Different levels of heat can break and change chemical bonds in molecules, but heat won't break down or change *most* elemental atoms. (gas excluded)

Once it's down to atomic level, it can't go farther.

Here's a link I found on the subject. The composition graph is on pg. 90.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Q7Pb2wXV2woC&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=elemental+makeup+of+cremated+remains&source=bl&ots=-0HtQwSIpw&sig=lyial2099RWzMFEdeqQT7_9vorc&hl=en&ei=zHeFS7X_KsKulAe88vSZAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCIQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=&f=false