The new tree burial park will open around August, and final plans will be announced in June, said Hsiao Hsien-ming, section chief of the Taipei Mortuary Services Office (MSO).

He added, however, that the pet burial area will start operations after the new site's opening; more concrete plans will also be announced in June.

According to Hsiao, the initial plan for the pet burial area is to separate 300 square meters for 200 burial spots, whereby pets' ashes can be scattered over flower beds, he said.

Currently, the cemetery's tree burial methods consist of burying human ashes either around or below flowers and trees, or directly scattered over flower beds.

"Recently, the MSO has received several letters from citizens concerned about where to place their pets' remains, so we wanted to do something about this," explained Hsiao as the reason for setting up the pet burial area.

There is no current law in the country that deals with pet remains. Currently, if pet remains are found they are taken care of in the same manner as regular waste matter, he explained.

"We want to educate people and particularly children that animals also deserve respect," said Hsiao.

Also, tree burials are an environmental alternative to traditional forms of interment, and a good option in Taipei City where land is scarce, he said.

"In the South, pets are more likely to be buried in people's backyards because land is more readily available, but this is not always possible in the city where space is more limited," explained the section chief.

The MSO will start taking applications for the pet burials once official announcements are made in the next couple of months.

Pet owners must, however, take care of cremating their pets' remains before applying for a burial spot, as the tree burial park does not provide such service.

As the first of its kind to offer tree burial services with its opening in Nov. 10 of 2003, the public cemetery's Fu De Memorial Park has performed over 600 of the environmental burials.

Because of its success and the support of the public, the MSO has decided to expand the tree burial space to a total of four hectares that will increase the total capacity of tree burial spots to 6,000, of which a 1.2-hectare area has already been completed in the initial phase.

According to the MSO, the addition of land for tree burials will provide the public with more alternatives to choose from when considering burial methods.

The new park boasts over 50 varieties of flowers and trees, and is divided into nine areas themed around different flora.

Trees such as the Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume), Sweet Olive (Osmanthus fragrans), Native Cassia Bark (Cinnamomum osmophloeum), Taiwan Flowering Cherry (Prunus campanulata), Camphor Laurel (Cinnamommum camphora), and the Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla), are featured in the different areas.

Plants from the Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) and Podocarp (Podocarpaceae) families also contribute to the new tree burial park's natural environment.

To promote the opening of the new tree burial park as well as to educate the public on the environmental benefits of flower and tree burials, the MSO yesterday started a contest to find a name for the new tree burial park.

Those interested may submit a name for the new tree burial park, along with a 500-word explanation for the name. According to Hsiao, entries must be submitted in Chinese, and the contest will end on May 10.

The first-prize winner will receive NT$10,000, the runner-up will receive NT$5,000, and the third-prize winner will receive NT$3,000. Two special prizes of NT$2,000 will also be offered. More information is available in the MSO Web site at www.mso.taipei.gov.tw