Dr. rer. nat. Somidh Saha
- Head of research group
- Research group “Sylvanus – Increasing resilience and reducing trade-offs during forest transformations”
- Room: 518
- Phone: +49 721 608-24644
- somidh saha ∂ kit edu
- www.somidh.com/
Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse (ITAS)
Postfach 3640
76021 Karlsruhe
Fields of work
Thematic focus
- Social-ecological resilience
- Forest transformation
- Restoration silviculture and forest ecology
- Urban forestry and ecology
- Biomass and bioenergy
Methodological focus
- Quantification of ecosystem services and trade-off analyses
- Meta-analysis
- Participatory and constructive technology assessment
- Forest inventory
- Questionnaire survey and public perception analysis
Current positions
- Leader of the reasearch group “Sylvanus – Increasing resilience and reducing trade-offs during forest transformations”
- Leader of a KIT-Junior-Research Group
- KIT-Associate-Fellow at the KIT-Department of Civil Engineering, Geo and Environmental Sciences (Eligibility to supervise and examine Ph.D., M.Sc. and B.Sc. candidates)
- Coordinator of the IUFRO Unit “Temperate and Boreal Silviculture”
- Deputy-coordinator of the IUFRO Unit “Ecology and Silviculture of Oak”
Professional background
2000 - 2003 | B.Sc. in Zoology (Honours), Presidency College, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India |
2003 - 2005 | M.Sc. in Forestry (Management and Economics), Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, India |
2005 - 2008 | Forester, Centre-in-Charge, The Bamra Forest Centre, BILT Pulp and Paper (Unit - Sewa), Odisha, India |
2008 - 2012 | Doctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.) in Forestry, University of Freiburg, Germany (DAAD Fellowship) |
2013 - 2016 | Scientist at University of Freiburg, Germany |
since 2017 | Scientist at ITAS, KIT, Germany |
Selected publications
Cueva, J.; Almeida I.Y.; Fröhlich, K., Dermann, A. F.; Dermann, F., Köhler, M.; Grossmann, J.; Meier, W.; Bauhus, J.;Schröder, D., Sardemann, G.; Thomas, C.; Romero Carnicero, A.; Saha, S.
Synergies and tradeoffs in ecosystem services from urban and peri-urban forests and their implication to sustainable city design and planning. Sustainable Cities and Society, 82, 103903
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2210670722002256
Almeida, I.; Rösch, C.; Saha, S.
Converting monospecific into mixed forests - Stakeholders' views on ecosystem services in the Black Forest Region. Ecology and Society 26(4):28
https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol26/iss4/art28/
Beckmann-Wübbelt, A.; Fricke, A.; Sebesvari, Z.; Almeida, I.; Fröhlich, K.; Saha, S. (2021)
High public appreciation for cultural ecosystem services of urban and peri-urban forests during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainable Cities and Society, 74, 103240
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2210670721005175
Chakraborty, T., Saha, S., Matzarakis, A., Reif, A. (2017)
Influence of multiple biotic and abiotic factors on the crown die-back of European beech trees at their drought limit. Flora, 229: 58 - 70
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S036725301733133X
Sohn, JA.; Saha, S.; Bauhus, J. (2016)
Potential of forest thinning to mitigate drought stress: a meta-analysis. Forest Ecology and Management, 380, 261 - 273
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112716304029
Publications
Moss abundance increased along a gradient of postfire interventions from high to low intensity after a forest fire in Brandenburg, Germany
2024. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research. doi:10.1093/forestry/cpae025
Comparable diameter resulted in larger leaf area and denser foliage in the park trees than in street trees: A study on Norway maples of Karlsruhe city, Germany
2024. Heliyon, 10 (1), Art.-Nr.: e23647. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23647
Crown die-back of peri-urban forests after combined heatwave and drought was species-specific, size-dependent, and also related to tree neighbourhood characteristics
2024. Science of The Total Environment, 913, Art.-Nr.: 169716. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169716
Book review: Timon, McPhearson; Nadja, Kabisch; Niki, Frantzeskaki (eds.) (2023): Nature-based solutions for cities
2024. TATuP - Zeitschrift für Technikfolgenabschätzung in Theorie und Praxis, 33 (1), 70–71. doi:10.14512/tatup.33.1.70
Exploiting the potential of nature-based solutions for resilient urban development: Insights into potentials and policy challenges in Kumasi, Ghana
2024, April 26. International Conference on Urban Affairs (2024), New York, NY, USA, April 24–27, 2024
Unfolding the relationship of urban tree species diversity to the subjective well-being of the popultaion - A map-based survey in the urban area of Karlsruhe (South-West Germany)
2024, May 24. 26th European Forum on Urban Forestry: Urban Forests for All (EFUF 2024), Zagreb, Croatia, May 22–24, 2024
Variation in citizens’ perception of cultural ecosystem services from Urban green spaces in the Orient and Occident: a case study from Karlsruhe (Germany) and Suwon (Korea)
2024, May 24. 26th European Forum on Urban Forestry: Urban Forests for All (EFUF 2024), Zagreb, Croatia, May 22–24, 2024
Exploring the governance of urban green spaces as Nature-based Solutions in Korea and Germany
2024. 53rd Annual Conference of the German Ecological Society (GfÖ 2024), Freising, Germany, September 9–13, 2024
Mapping Citizens’ perceptions of cultural ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces and comparative analyses between Germany and South Korea
2024. 26th World Congress / International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO 2024), Stockholm, Sweden, July 23–29, 2024
Performance & Wissenschaft: Einsame Bäume in einem Dschungel aus Beton (Theater des Anthropozän)
2024. doi:10.5445/IR/1000169103
Transdisziplinär forschen
2023. Transformative Geographische Bildung – Schlüsselprobleme, Theoriezugänge, Forschungsweisen, Vermittlungspraktiken. Hrsg.: E. Nöthen, 261–267, Springer-Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-66482-7_36
Climate change adaptation measures conflicted with the recreational demands on city forests during COVID-19 pandemic
2023. npj Urban Sustainability, 3 (1), Art.-Nr.: 17. doi:10.1038/s42949-023-00096-y
Characteristics of urban park recreation and health during early COVID-19 by on-site survey in Beijing
2023. npj Urban Sustainability, 3 (1), Art.-Nr.: 31. doi:10.1038/s42949-023-00110-3
Spatial neighborhood analysis linking urban morphology and green infrastructure to atmospheric conditions in Karlsruhe, Germany
2023. Urban Climate, 51, Art.-Nr.: 101624. doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101624
Jasmonate signaling controls negative and positive effectors of salt stress tolerance in rice
2023. Journal of Experimental Botany, 74 (10), 3220–3239. doi:10.1093/jxb/erad086
Tropical montane forest (Shola) tree species can regenerate under abandoned exotic tree plantations in the Western Ghats of India
2023. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research, 97 (3), 388–400. doi:10.1093/forestry/cpad050
Public perceptions and willingness to pay for cultural ecosystem services from urban forests
2023. Science Talks, 8, Art.-Nr.: 100253. doi:10.1016/j.sctalk.2023.100253
Envisioning the future - creating sustainable, healthy and resilient BioCities
2023. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 84, Article no: 127935. doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127935
Die Kombination von aktiven und passiven Restorationsmaßnahmen führt zu einer größeren und artenreicheren Bodenvegetation drei Jahre nach einem Waldbrand
2023. Forstwissenschaftliche Tagung (FOWITA 2023 2023), Dresden, Germany, September 11–13, 2023
Species traits and growing conditions were related to crown dieback in community and city-owned peri-urban forests: a study from southwest Germany
2023. European Forum on Urban Forestry "Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions" (EFUF 2023), Krakow, Poland, May 23–27, 2023
Microhabitat Abundance, Richness and Diversity in Park and Street Trees of Karlsruhe
2023. European Forum on Urban Forestry "Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions" (EFUF 2023), Krakow, Poland, May 23–27, 2023
We and the trees in an Anthroposcape
2023. Trans-cultural/disciplinary Practices: Arts and Science in a Changing World (2023), Zurich, Switzerland, September 15–16, 2023
Life-giving trees of a city – lessons learned from the GrüneLunge project in Karlsruhe
2023. Kongress der Zukünfte, RambaZamba Theater (2023), Berlin, Germany, October 13–15, 2023
Solitary trees in a warming and growing city: some outcomes from the GrüneLune project
2023. Kongress Grüne Städte Europa "Stadt.Baum.Dach" (2023), Cologne, Germany, September 11–12, 2023
Combining inter-and transdisciplinary research approaches to increase the resilience of urban forests to climate change impacts in Southwest Germany
2023. 2nd World Forum on Urban Forests (2023), Washington, DC, USA, October 16–20, 2023
Crown damage of single-standing city trees after the catastrophic drought of 2018 – field observational studies on 79,753 trees from the city of Karlsruhe, Germany
2023. European Forum on Urban Forestry "Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions" (EFUF 2023), Krakow, Poland, May 23–27, 2023
Participatory spatial mapping and valuation of cultural ecosystem services from urban green spaces in Germany and Republic of Korea
2023, December 15. Annual Meeting 2023, British Ecological Society (BES 2023), Belfast, United Kingdom, December 12–15, 2023
Post-fire recovery assessment for fostering socio-ecological resilience in the Western Himalayan Region
2023. International Symposium on Intersectoral Cooperation for Resilient Landscapes, International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) (2023), Dehradun, India, March 29–30, 2023
Quantifying ecosystem services from urban forests and their importance in increasing social-ecological resilience in Greater Kumasi, Ghana
2023. European Forum on Urban Forestry "Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions" (EFUF 2023), Krakow, Poland, May 23–27, 2023
Exploring the potential of participatory spatial-system dynamics modeling in assessing the importance of cultural ecosystem services from the urban forest for resilience planning in Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia
2023. European Forum on Urban Forestry "Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions" (EFUF 2023), Krakow, Poland, May 23–27, 2023
Lessons learned from the GrüneLunge or GreenLung project to increase social-ecological resilience of urban and peri-urban forests (UPF) to climate change impacts by performing inter- and transdisciplinary research
2023. European Forum on Urban Forestry "Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions" (EFUF 2023), Krakow, Poland, May 23–27, 2023
Morphological, tree health, and ecophysiological variations among Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) trees planted along strips and pits near roads in the city of Karlsruhe, Germany
2023, May 25. European Forum on Urban Forestry "Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions" (EFUF 2023), Krakow, Poland, May 23–27, 2023
Tree-ring analysis and impulse tomography on old native (Quercus robur) and exotic (Quercus rubra) urban oaks revealed a growing sensitivity to drought and internal trunk damage
2023. European Forum on Urban Forestry "Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions" (EFUF 2023), Krakow, Poland, May 23–27, 2023
Citizens’ perceptions of cultural ecosystem services of urban green spaces in Germany and the Republic of Korea
2023. KIT Science Week / Zukunft gemeinsam nachhaltig gestalten (2023), Karlsruhe, Germany, October 10–15, 2023
Cultural ecosystem services and its linkage to the future development of urban forests
2023. Summer School: Blue-green biodiversity. Research and practice at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems (2023), Davos, Switzerland, August 27–September 1, 2023. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.27795.25126
Einsame Bäume in einem Dschungel aus Beton (Theaterstück - Theater des Anthropozän)
2023
"Our Trees Are Dying": KIT Forest Researcher Somidh Saha about Karlsruhe Hardtwald
2023. doi:10.5445/IR/1000163033
Carbon and oxygen dual-isotopes indicate alternative physiological mechanisms opted by European beech trees to survive drought stress
2022. Scandinavian journal of forest research, 37 (5-8), 295–313. doi:10.1080/02827581.2022.2155236
Synergies and tradeoffs in ecosystem services from urban and peri-urban forests and their implication to sustainable city design and planning
2022. Sustainable cities and society, 82, 103903. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2022.103903
Drought tolerance differs between urban tree species but is not affected by the intensity of traffic pollution
2022. Trees, 37 (1), 111–131. doi:10.1007/s00468-022-02294-0
Native pedunculate oaks support more biodiversity than non-native oaks, but non-native oaks are healthier than native oaks: a study on street and park trees of a city
2022. The science of the total environment, 853, 158603. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158603
Potential of NTFP-based bioeconomy in livelihood security and income inequality mitigation in Kashmir Himalayas
2022. Sustainability, 14 (4), Article no: 2281. doi:10.3390/su14042281
Literature Review Reveals a Global Access Inequity to Urban Green Spaces
2022. Sustainability, 14 (3), 1062. doi:10.3390/su14031062
Inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches to increase the resilience of urban and peri-urban forests (UPFs) to climate change impacts - lessons learned from the first phase of the “GreenLung” (“GrüneLunge”) project, Germany
2022. UFFU 2022 : International Conference Leuven : Urban Forests, Forest Urbanisms, and Global Warming: Developing Greener, Cooler and more Resilient Cities : Book of Abstracts, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven)
Research Agenda : Biocities of the future
2022. European Forest Institute (EFI). doi:10.36333/rs4
Can a mix of active and passive restoration measures improve post-fire stand regeneration?
2022. COFE-FORMEC-IUFRO Conference (2022 2022), Corvallis, OR, USA, October 4–7, 2022
Native pedunculate oaks support more biodiversity than non-native oaks, but non-native oaks are healthier than native oaks: A study on street and park trees of a city
2022. International Research Conference Singapore (2022), Online, October 26–27, 2022
Native Pedunculate Oaks Support More Biodiversity than Non-native Oaks, but Non-native Oaks are Healthier than Native Oaks: A Study on Street and Park Trees of a City
2022. Urban Transitions (2022), Sitges, Spain, November 8–10, 2022
Forests and Their Futures
2022. Zukunft des Lebens (2022), Cologne, Germany, June 22–23, 2022
Combining inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches to increase the resilience of urban forests–lessons learned from the Green-Lung (GrüneLunge) in Karlsruhe, Germany
2022. Marsh Hall, Hixon Centre of Urban Ecology, Forest School, Yale School of Environment, Yale University (2022), New Haven, CT, USA, December 5, 2022
Co-developing nature-based solutions (NbS) for maximizing ecosystem services of urban forests
2022. Urban Transitions (2022), Sitges, Spain, November 8–10, 2022
Comparable diameter and light availability resulted to bigger leaf area and denser foliage in the park than street trees: A study on Norway maple
2022. Urban Transitions (2022), Sitges, Spain, November 8–10, 2022
Digitalization of Urban Trees in Karlsruhe, Germany
2022. 5th European Technology Assessment Conference (ETAC5 2022), Karlsruhe, Germany, July 25–27, 2022
Assessing stakeholders’ perspectives on cultural ecosystem services provided by urban trees
2022. SFE²-GfÖ-EEF joint meeting, International Conference on Ecological Sciences "Ecology and Evolution: New perspectives and societal challenges" (2022), Metz, France, November 21–25, 2022
Naturnahes Gärtnern: Mein Beitrag zum Erhalt der Artenvielfalt und zur Verbesserung des Stadtklimas : Info-Broschüre aus dem Projekt GrüneLunge
2021. Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Naturnahe Gärten - Mein Beitrag zum Erhalt der Artenvielfalt
2021. Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Converting monospecific into mixed forests: stakeholders’ views on ecosystem services in the Black Forest Region
2021. Ecology and society, 26 (4), Article no: 28. doi:10.5751/ES-12723-260428
High public appreciation for the cultural ecosystem services of urban and peri‑urban forests during the COVID-19 pandemic
2021. Sustainable Cities and Society, 74, Art.-Nr.: 103240. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2021.103240
How does radial growth of water-stressed populations of european beech (Fagus sylvatica l.) trees vary under multiple drought events?
2021. Forests, 12 (2), 1–32. doi:10.3390/f12020129
Policy and Governance Implications for Transition to NTFP-Based Bioeconomy in Kashmir Himalayas
2021. Sustainability, 13 (21), Art.-Nr.: 11811. doi:10.3390/su132111811
The current state of resilience research in urban forestry: a qualitative literature review
2021. International Journal of Plant and Environment, 7 (1), 1–16. doi:10.18811/ijpen.v7i01.4
Wie kann man Ökosystemleistungen von Bäumen messen?
2021. EFFEKTE im Juni: Von Digitalbauern, Mischwäldern und Nachhaltigkeit (2021), Online, June 15, 2021
Mischwälder und ihre Bedeutung für eine nachhaltige Forstwirtschaft
2021. EFFEKTE im Juni: Von Digitalbauern, Mischwäldern und Nachhaltigkeit (2021), Online, June 15, 2021
Kulturelle Ökosystemdienstleistungen von Bäumen in Karlsruhe
2021. EFFEKTE im Juni: Von Digitalbauern, Mischwäldern und Nachhaltigkeit (2021), Online, June 15, 2021
Naturnah gärtnern – für Mensch, Tier und Klima. Einblicke in die Kampagne zur Förderung naturnaher Gärten in Rheinstetten
2020. Transforming cities, (3), 84–86
Photosynthetic performance, height growth, and dominance of naturally regenerated sessile oak (Quercus petraea [Mattuschka] Liebl.) seedlings in small-scale canopy openings of varying sizes
2020. European journal of forest research, 139, 41–52. doi:10.1007/s10342-019-01238-7
Assessing Restoration Potential of Fragmented and Degraded Fagaceae Forests in Meghalaya, North-East India
2020. Forests, 11 (9), Art.-Nr.: 1008. doi:10.3390/F11091008
Assessing forest structure and composition along the altitudinal gradient in the state of Sikkim, Eastern Himalayas, India
2019. Forests, 10 (8), Art.-Nr.: 633. doi:10.3390/f10080633
Public preference for mixed forests - The results of a transdisciplinary research project on ecosystem services in Germany
2019. IUFRO World Congress (2019), Curitiba, Brazil, September 29–October 5, 2019
Managing urban trees and forests under the threats of climate change, urbanization, and pollution
2019. IUFRO World Congress (2019), Curitiba, Brazil, September 29–October 5, 2019
Technology assessment in forestry sector under climate change
2019. 4. Internationale TA-Konferenz (2019), Bratislava, Slovakia, November 4–6, 2019
Comparison of Ecosystem Services from Mixed and Monospecific Forests in Southwest Germany: A Survey on Public Perception
2018. Forests, 9 (10), Article: 627. doi:10.3390/f9100627
Vulnerability of forests in the Himalayan region to climate change impacts and anthropogenic disturbances: a systematic review
2018. Regional environmental change, 18 (6), 1783–1799. doi:10.1007/s10113-018-1309-7
Biomass, annual growth, C and O isotope signatures in tree rings revealed high ecological plasticity in European beech (fagus silvatica l.) trees under multiple drought events
2018. 11th 11th International Beech Symposium, Viterbo, I, September 18-21, 2018 (2018), Viterbo, Italy, September 18–21, 2018
Cork oak: Sustainable forests and eco-friendly products
2018. Eco Forum Global Annual Conference (2018), Guiyang, China, July 6, 2018
Lessons learned from oak cluster planting trials in Central Europe and scope for cluster planting in restoration of degraded forests and conversion on monospecific forests
2018. 4th International Congress of Planted Forests (2018), Beijing, China, October 23–27, 2018
High public support for mixed forests over monospecific forests in Germany
2018. 4th International Congress of Planted Forests (2018), Beijing, China, October 23–27, 2018
Comparison of ecosystem services from mixed against monospecific forests in the southwest Germany: a survey on public perception
2018. 11th 11th International Beech Symposium, Viterbo, I, September 18-21, 2018 (2018), Viterbo, Italy, September 18–21, 2018
Higher diversity and productivity in silver fir. Beech mixed forests over monospecific forests in Germany
2018. 4th International Congress of Planted Forests (2018), Beijing, China, October 23–27, 2018
Assessing restoration potential of fragmented and degraded fagaceae forests in Meghalaya, North-East India
2018. 4th International Congress of Planted Forests (2018), Beijing, China, October 23–27, 2018
Silver fir - European beech mixed forests have higher productivity than pure forests of beech in South Germany
2018. 11th 11th International Beech Symposium, Viterbo, I, September 18-21, 2018 (2018), Viterbo, Italy, September 18–21, 2018
First Report on the Ethnopharmacological Uses of Medicinal Plants by Monpa Tribe from the Zemithang Region of Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalayas, India
2017. Plants, 6 (1), 13. doi:10.3390/plants6010013
Influence of multiple biotic and abiotic factors on the crown die-back of European beech trees at their drought limit
2017. Flora, 229, 58–70. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2017.02.012
Generalized biomass and leaf area allometric equations for European tree species incorporating stand structure, tree age and climate
2017. Forest ecology and management, 396, 160–175. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2017.04.011
Group planting of cherry (Prunus avium L.) fosters growth and tree quality is superior to conventional row planting in Germany
2017. Journal of forestry research, 29 (4), 1099–1110. doi:10.1007/s11676-017-0506-4
Role of multiple stressors on crown dieback and growth sensitivity of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees under recurrent droughts
2017. IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress, Freiburg, September 18-22, 2017
Ecology and silviculture of four important oak tree species in East and South Asia: a review
2017. IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress, Freiburg, September 18-22, 2017
Anthropogenic disturbances differently impacted natural regeneration and coppicing ability in nine Fagaceae tree species in moist oak-laurel hill forests of Khasi Hills, Northeast India
2017. 3rd Conference ’Restoring Forests - Regeneration and Ecosystem Function for the Future’, Lund, S, September 12-14, 2017
High public support for beech-fir mixed forests
2017. BuTaKLi Project Meeting, Freiburg, November 9, 2017
Does mixing species increase forest ecosystem services under changing climate? A study in beech-fir forests
2017. 1st Biannual Meeting of the BuTaKLi project, Freiburg, May 3, 2017
Inter- und transdisziplinäre Entwicklung von Strategien zur Erhöhung der Resilienz von Bäumen in wachsenden Städten und urbanen Regionen
2017. Vernetzungskonferenz Zukunftsstadt, Frankfurt, 13.-14.Dezember 2017
Young European beech plants had differently tuned root and shoot growth between dry and less-dry forest plots in summer drought of 2003 and 2011: a study on limestrone outcrop in Northern Switzerland
2017. IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress, Freiburg, September 18-22, 2017
Stand structure, vegetation, and regeneration of the semi-natural deciduous mixed oak forests in the Western Qinling Mountains, China
2017. IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress, Freiburg, September 18-22, 2017
Group planting fosters better growth and superior tree quality compared to conventional row planting: The first study on wild cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) from Germany
2017. IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress, Freiburg, September 18-22, 2017
Trade-offs between climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives in Germany
2017. IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress, Freiburg, September 18-22, 2017
Cluster planting as a lower cost alternative. Lessons learned from the central European oak cluster planting trials
2017. Synthesizing and Sharing Globally Available Forest - Related Scientific Knowledge, San Juan, PR, June 6-9, 2017