The landscaped grounds of the University of Arizona, Tucson, are rooted in the research and educational missions of the land grant institution. As a cultural connection to Arizona’s history and as a living laboratory, the more than 7000 trees on the UA campus from arid regions of every continent, provide a resource for outreach and service both to the state and to other arid, regions globally. The value of the campus is appreciated for its role in defining a unique sense of place, for its beauty and rich connection to the State and University history. They may further be appreciated as a restorative setting in which to work and play, or to recruit and retain faculty, staff, students and visitors. However this urban campus landscape also has a valuable role to play through its contributions to environmental, economic and human health. Trees serve as part of the University’s green infrastructure providing unaccounted services that improve air quality, reduce atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate urban heat islands, conserve energy, filter water, reduce municipal costs for flood control and contribute to offsetting climate changes. In essence, trees serve as a source of natural capital that is the currency fundamental to the ecosystem processes sustaining the health of all life on earth. As a land grant institution, the University of Arizona has an important responsibility to apply its research expertise so as to model natural resource stewardship by judicious planning and efficient management. Our natural capital is foundational to all other endeavors and it can and should be accounted for and managed just as we would our financial or human capital.
Keywords: trees; multiple benefits; stormwater; cost-benefit; emissions