The harsh reality of the decreasing number of cemetery plots in the United States can be especially painful for those looking to plan a burial in or near their hometown.

“All cemeteries are running out of land,” said Don Molzon, president of the association that maintains the Berry Lawn-Charlestown Cemetery in Carlstadt. “They are using whatever land they can, including former pathways.”

Currently, Berry Lawn-Charlestown, located near Seventh and Eighth streets, has approximately 3,700 deceased. However, that number is an estimate since some records have been lost by past cemetery administrations .

How many plots are left to purchase at Berry Lawn-Charlestown?

Nine — that’s it.

DATING BACK TO THE 1800s

The cemetery received its truncated name in 1965, when Berry Lawn Cemetery (originally built in 1893) joined with Charlestown Cemetery (originally built in 1857).

When the two combined, a cemetery association was also founded and charged with maintaining the property and records, according to Molzon. However, not much work was performed for decades. In 2003, a new cemetery administration took over the neglected property and restored it to its former respectability — using purely volunteer members.

“It’s rewarding,” said Molzon, who volunteers for the cemetery with his wife, Lauretta. “We are pleased to do it.”

But even in the somber practice of maintaining a cemetery, external forces creep in. With the economy on the mend, gasoline prices ever-rising and plots slowly diminishing in number, the association recently had to look for virgin land to sell.

Thus, the cemetery association opted to rip up pathways on its grounds, so as to make room for more plots. Molzon said local police officers, Mayor William Roseman, councilmen and residents who had been placed on a waiting list jumped at the open land.

Even Molzon and his wife bought spaces. “People who were born in Carlstadt and raised in Carlstadt want to stay in Carlstadt,” Molzon said.

Only nine plots remain, but soon even they will be gone, and the cemetery will need to get creative to find more land.

HILLSIDE AND HOLY CROSS

At Berry Lawn-Charlestown, one plot for two people goes for $1,700, with an additional $400 maintenance fee. Cremation is a bit cheaper and goes for $1,800, which includes the maintenance fee.

“Many people are turning to cremation,” Molzon said. “But we still get a lot of full-sized plots being used. But maybe down the line, there will be more cremations because we are losing land.”

A few miles southwest of Berry Lawn-Charlestown sits Lyndhurst’s Hillside Cemetery, which has approximately 24,000 deceased. The large cemetery may have a little more room for open plots, but not much.

Built in 1882 and located at 742 Rutherford Ave., the cemetery offers a $2,000 plots (two people) and $4,000 plots (four people).

The costs to maintain the cemetery are covered by the purchasing of plots and donations. “The money keeps our heads above the water,” said a cemetery spokesperson, who wished to remain anonymous.

The spokesperson also noted that many people are leaning toward cremation for not only the space issue, but also the cost.

The 205-acre Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington already has 184 of its acres developed, according to Jim Goodness, director of communication for the Archdiocese of Newark.

Established in 1915, Holy Cross currently has slightly less than 300,000 people either buried or cremated at the site. However, with little land available, Goodness noted many cemeteries are looking to build above-ground burial sections or mausoleums.

“Our plan for this cemetery, and for others in the archdiocesan cemetery program, calls for the building of mausoleums to accommodate burial above ground,” Goodness stated in an e-mail. “This is not an unusual plan — many other cemetery organizations are taking similar actions simply because there is less and less land available in the state. … We do see a large number of people who are considering burial in our mausoleums because those sites are open and active, and the number of new gravesites in Holy Cross are limited.”

So what happens when cemetery land runs out?

Well, Molzon said, when there’s nowhere else to squeeze an extra plot in Berry Lawn-Charlestown, the cemetery would essentially be sold out.