The Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) is a £15 million research facility that helps predict how woodlands will respond to climate and environmental change.

Set in mature oak woodland, this 10-year experiment raises the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration of an entire forest using Free Air Carbon Enrichment (FACE) technology and computer-controlled rings of 30-metre towers.

Our academic partners at the University of Birmingham, which oversees BIFoR, have granted special permission for Earthwatch field teams to use this unique site.

Volunteers study the growth rates of trees and other aspects of the carbon cycle such as soil respiration rates.

The data they collect will improve our understanding of how forests cope with increased levels of carbon dioxide and increase our ability to predict climate change.