Jonas Zahn, Northwoods Casket Co. founder, accepts the “Innovations in Urban Forestry” award from Jeffrey Treu representing the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council.
Beaver Dam, WI. The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council presented Northwoods Casket Co. owners Julie and Jonas Zahn with an award for “Innovations in Urban Forestry” recognizing the company’s commitment to plant 100 trees for every casket the company builds.
In 2012, the Northwoods Casket Co. helped sponsor a 175,000 tree planting in the Kettle Moraine State Forest Northern unit near Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Since 2010, the Northwoods Casket Co. has annually selected 3-4 communities in the state to sponsor urban tree plantings under the guidance of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry initiative. Through the company’s program trees have been planted in villages and cities large and small, in public parks, on public school grounds, street terraces, and private property.
“I’ve seen a lot of creative tree-planting programs, but this one—a casket company giving back this way—is very unique,” expressed Jeffrey Treu UFC member and resident of Waupaca, Wisconsin.
Northwoods Casket Co. founder, Jonas Zahn, is serious about planting trees. Zahn has committed to plant ten million trees in Wisconsin in his lifetime. “Planting ten million trees is not just a commitment I have made to the good people of Wisconsin, and the state legislature,” Zahn says, “it is a promise I’ve made to my two children.”
About the Northwoods Casket Co.
The company, founded in 2006, builds sustainable, eco-friendly caskets and delivers to every funeral home in the state of Wisconsin with next-day delivery service. The company builds a wide selection of caskets in 30 styles and finishes suitable for cremation or burial in prices ranging from $500 to $5,000. For more information go to www.northwoodscasket.com or call (920) 631-7077.
About the Urban Forestry Council
The non-profit Urban Forestry Council (UFC) advises the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on the best ways to preserve, protect, expand and improve Wisconsin's urban and community forest resources. Learn more about Wisconsin’s Urban Forestry initiative and the UFC at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/UrbanForests/