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Abstract Urban trees are increasingly used by cities for cooling and climate adaptation. However, efforts to increase tree cover across cities have neglected to account for the trees' health and function, which are known to control their associated environmental benefits but have been difficult to assess at scales relevant for management. Here, we use remotely sensed, high resolution canopy temperature as a proxy for tree health and function and evaluate its relation to the built environment across Minneapolis‐St. Paul (MSP) using machine learning analyses. We develop a new index that incorporates information on urban trees' health and function, in addition to their presence. This index, when applied across MSP, suggests that canopy benefits may not be distributed equally even in neighborhoods with similar canopy cover. Furthermore, accounting for tree health and function can yield more effective and equitable benefits by guiding the location and magnitude of intervention for urban tree management. 

Abstract Terrestrial water fluxes are substantially mediated by vegetation, while the distribution, growth, health, and mortality of plants are strongly influenced by the availability of water. These interactions, playing out across multiple spatial and temporal scales, link the disciplines of plant ecophysiology and ecohydrology. Despite this connection, the disciplines have provided complementary, but largely independent, perspectives on the soil‐plant‐atmosphere continuum since their crystallization as modern scientific disciplines in the late 20th century. This review traces the development of the two disciplines, from their respective origins in engineering and ecology, their largely independent growth and maturation, and the eventual development of common conceptual and quantitative frameworks. This common ground has allowed explicit coupling of the disciplines to better understand plant function. Case studies both illuminate the limitations of the disciplines working in isolation, and reveal the exciting possibilities created by consilience between the disciplines. The histories of the two disciplines suggest opportunities for new advances will arise from sharing methodologies, working across multiple levels of complexity, and leveraging new observational technologies. Practically, these exchanges can be supported by creating shared scientific spaces. This review argues that consilience and collaboration are essential for robust and evidence‐based predictions and policy responses under global change.