Ray Tretheway
Celebrating one of Sacramento's most inspired visionaries.
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The board of directors and staff of the Sacramento Tree Foundation are pleased to announce the Ray Tretheway Evergreen Fund, established in honor of Ray’s 40 years of leadership at the Foundation and his lifelong commitment to public and community service.
A fitting tribute to Ray’s passion and contributions to this region, the mission of the Ray Tretheway Evergreen Fund (Fund) is to amplify the Foundation’s advocacy for trees and to increase tree canopies throughout the region, especially in neighborhoods where trees are needed the most.
Ray identified two urban forest initiatives that he would like to benefit from gifts in his name. The first $50,000 donated to the Fund will be directed to create a living museum that explores the natural heritage of our beloved valley oaks. Additional gifts to the Fund will be dedicated to investments that prioritize tree plantings in neighborhoods most in need.
Ray and Judy Tretheway Heritage Oak Preserve
Trees Meet Needs
Ribbon Cutting
On November 19, we celebrated the ribbon cutting for the Ray and Judy Tretheway Oak Preserve. Watch the virtual event recording at the link below.
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Decades of Lasting Impact
1980s
The Sacramento Tree Foundation is founded as a nonprofit on California Arbor Day in March 1982, with Ray Tretheway hired as the first employee a few months later to organize volunteers and create a stewardship plan for newly planted trees. With a goal to plant a tree a day, Ray recruited neighbors to plant trees at schools, parks, and streets all over the region.
1990s
Board member Jeanie Shaw named a bold goal to plant one million trees in the following decade and pitched this idea to David Freeman, the new general manager of SMUD. In 1992, Ray and Board President Bill Fobes struck a deal to partner with SMUD in the delivery of free shade trees for energy savings, and the Sacramento Shade program was born. To date, this program has delivered over 600,000 trees and counting throughout the county.
2000s
National Arbor Day in 2001 marked the successful completion of the decade-long campaign to plant one million trees in Sacramento. Schoolchildren gathered to celebrate as Ray planted the millionth tree, a valley oak, at Cesar Chavez Plaza along with Mayor Heather Fargo and Supervisor Roger Dickinson. The Tree Foundation secured commitments from elected officials throughout the region to embrace the vision of investing in a regional urban forest.
2010s
Ray's advocacy in the 1990s for studies on Sacramento's urban forest produced volumes of research over the next few decades. These studies showed the links between tree canopy, urban heat, air quality, and public health. Recognizing the central role of tree canopy in building healthy communities, the Tree Foundation prioritized planting trees in under-canopied neighborhoods. The NeighborWoods program expanded to many additional communities, supporting residents to lead their own tree planting projects.
2020
As conversations around public health, social justice, and climate change took center stage, Ray secured a commitment from the Mayors' Commission on Climate Change to work toward tree canopy goals of 25% by 2035 and 35% by 2045 through tree plantings in under-canopied and underserved neighborhoods. In his final year with the Tree Foundation, he leaves a tremendous legacy for our City of Trees and solutions toward a green, just future for the region.