Plants are ubiquitous. However, despite this fact the general public may not fully appreciate the fundamental importance of trees and other plants in supporting and sustaining all apsects of life on Earth and in providing environmental, economic and social benefits for humankind. Understanding ecosystem services as the sum of the benefits that plants provide is critical to calculating the sustainability of managed urban environments. Land Grant Institutions with public gardens like the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and the University of Arizona Campus Arboretum are important in serving the community's needs by conducting science aimed at solving critical issues relating to sustainable development and for conveying this science through educational programs. Both arboreta provide diverse collections of desert adapted trees and other plants, offer space for research projects, provide educational programs, and seek to collaborate in community partnerships dedicated to serving the well-being of people and environments in the desert Southwest.

aess_2017_proposal_tq_mj.docx