They have the data already. It just does not support their theories. That means keep the experiment going to see if they can somehow get the results that the want to publish (that, coincidently, support global warming).
Also, they need the money to pay their mortgages and buy gas.
If their studies are warranted they can find a private funding source. Start with Hollywood.
They did these studies before...Guess What The Roots Got Long to enhance their Scrubber system for the highre amounts! When will scientist start to following science..
I don't know anything about this study, but it would appear to me the only reason to test the response of trees to elevated levels of CO2 is too check the increase in growth rate (read: increased CO2 absorption rate).
Such a study is much more likely to oppose global warming than to support it. This is one study I would like to see continued.
An outcome supporting global warming would be a decrease or no increase in growth rate. If they are looking for support for global warming, why not publish now if they have the data? Now maybe the scientists are afraid they will have to end their study and get a real job. That is another story.