Stafford Borough Council voted unanimously to approve the plans for the Institute at a meeting on Tuesday morning (16th). Work will begin on site in late spring 2015, with tree enabling works and work to protect the ecology of the area carried out beforehand.
BIFoR will carry out a unique scientific experiment called Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) which involves treating 30-metre plots of semi-natural oak woodland to the concentrations of carbon dioxide expected to prevail in 2050. Autonomous sensors and instrumented trees will allow scientists to take measurements continuously and remotely, over timescales ranging from seconds to decades, to follow the carbon as it is taken up by the plants and moved through the woodland ecosystem.