Help
Help & FAQs
A few questions worth answering. If yours isn’t here, please write to us, we read every note.
TributeOak is an editorial publication: we choose remarkable lives and write each memorial ourselves, and reading is always free. Below are the questions readers ask most often, grouped by the part of TributeOak they touch.
The memorials
The memorials
What is TributeOak?
TributeOak is an editorial publication, a quiet, deliberate record of remarkable lives. The TributeOak team chooses each life and writes each memorial ourselves, with the kind of care a life asks for. Reading is, and always will be, free. You can learn more on our about page.
Who writes the memorials?
Every memorial is written by the TributeOak editorial team and carries an author byline. We are not a marketplace and we do not publish submissions written by others. We research, draft, and edit each life ourselves.
Is it free to read?
Yes. Reading is always free, with no account, no paywall, and no subscription. The only thing you can pay for on TributeOak is the option to plant real trees as a living tribute, and even that is never required. You are welcome to browse the full record whenever you like.
How do you choose whose life to write about?
Notability is not the same as fame. A poet read by a thousand may belong here as fully as a head of state, a teacher remembered by three generations of children as fully as either. The test is not how loud a life was, but how much of its meaning we risk losing if no one writes it down.
Can I suggest someone?
Please do. If you knew a life that should be remembered here, write to us at support@tributeoak.com and tell us about them. We read every note. We cannot promise to publish, but we promise to read carefully and to answer.
Can I have a memorial written for my own loved one?
TributeOak is an editorial publication, not a commission service, so a memorial cannot be bought or ordered. What you can do is suggest a life worth remembering by writing to support@tributeoak.com. We weigh every suggestion on its own terms, and we do not promise to publish.
How do I report an error or request a takedown?
We aim for accuracy first and we are willing to be wrong about a life and to correct ourselves in public. If you spot an error, or if you would like a memorial removed, write to support@tributeoak.com. We correct mistakes promptly and we will take a memorial down on request.
Guestbooks
Guestbooks
What is the guestbook?
Each memorial carries a guestbook, a place for visitors to leave a remembrance: a memory, a few words of gratitude, a small story that the written life could not hold. Together the notes become a second, communal record alongside ours.
Who can leave a note?
Anyone who has read the life and has something true to add. No account is required. We simply ask that notes be offered in the spirit of the page: warm, honest, and respectful of the person remembered and of the people who loved them.
Are notes reviewed or moderated?
Yes. Guestbook notes are reviewed so the page stays a place of remembrance. We remove anything abusive, false, or written to settle scores with the living. The aim is grace, not censorship.
Can I remove a note I left?
Of course. If you would like a note you left taken down, write to support@tributeoak.com with a few details about the memorial and the note, and we will remove it for you.
Planting a tree
Planting a tree
What does planting a tree do?
It turns remembrance into something living. From any memorial you can plant real trees in that person's name, a quiet, growing tribute that outlasts words. Each tribute is preserved on the memorial's Memorial Grove, so the gesture stays visible to everyone who visits the page.
Where are the trees planted, and who plants them?
Trees are planted through our reforestation partner 1ClickImpact, at verified reforestation sites and carried out by trained local partners. Only native species are used, chosen by those local partners for biodiversity and long-term survival in the host biome. There are no monoculture plantations, ever.
Do I receive anything?
Yes. Once the trees are in the ground, a certificate is emailed to you naming the tribute. The tribute is also recorded on the memorial's Memorial Grove, where it stays as a lasting mark alongside the written life.
Can I plant once, or monthly, and can I cancel?
Both. A tree tribute can be given as a one-time gift or kept as a monthly tribute that plants again in their name each cycle. A monthly tribute can be canceled any time through the Stripe billing link on your receipts. Cancellation stops future plantings, and past plantings stay on the record. You can begin from the Plant a tree link on any memorial.
Can I visit the trees?
Plantings happen on partner-managed land that is not open to public visits. Your certificate names the project and region, and the tribute lives on permanently on the memorial's Memorial Grove.
Payments & accounts
Payments & accounts
How are payments handled?
All payments are processed securely by Stripe. TributeOak never sees or stores your full card details. Every receipt comes from Stripe and, for monthly tributes, carries the billing link you can use to manage or cancel.
Can I get a refund?
We understand that circumstances change. Refund questions are answered in full on our refunds page. If anything there is unclear, write to support@tributeoak.com and we will help.
Do I need an account?
No. You never need an account to read a memorial, leave a guestbook note, or plant a tree. We ask only for what each action genuinely requires. You can read how we handle the little we do collect on our privacy page.
Still have a question?
support@tributeoak.com →