About Prescribed Burning
Prescribed burning is one of the most valuable practices available to manage native plant communities and thus the wildlife populations that inhabit fields and upland forests throughout much of the South. Through prescribed burning, fires are applied to the land in a deliberate and controlled manner to promote germination of beneficial forbs and grasses, reduce coverage of less desirable trees and shrubs, and decrease potential for destructive wildfires by reducing fuel loads. Although prescribed fire is a very important tool for forest and wildlife management, many private landowners are reluctant to use fire due to cost and liability concerns associated with burning.
Fire on the Forty Program Goals
The goal of the Fire on the Forty campaign is to promote the use of prescribed fire on privately owned fields and upland forests through outreach to educate landowners about the proper application of prescribed fire via hands-on workshops, and by cost-sharing with private landowners to apply prescribed fire.
The ultimate objective of the program is to increase fire-maintained habitat in targeted geographical areas. Targeting efforts in a biologically significant area helps develop favorable "habitat patches" in close proximity to one another so that less mobile wildlife, such as bobwhites and rabbits, can potentially travel between managed patches. Identifying focal areas also helps local biologists use resources more efficiently and increases the likelihood that neighboring landowners will become interested in prescribed burning. Finally, the program only has a finite amount of funding, so targeting efforts helps get more "bang for our buck".
Cost-Share Program
Applications for cost-share for the 2023 funding cycle are currently closed. We expect to begin accepting applications for the new funding cycle in late summer 2024.
As part of the Fire on the Forty initiative, landowners may be reimbursed for funded projects in selected focal counties for 75% of costs for implementing and conducting prescribed fire up to a maximum per acre rate.
Focal counties for the 2023 funding cycle include the following: Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Benton, Carroll, Chickasaw, Claiborne, Clay, Copiah, Covington, DeSoto, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Prentiss, Stone, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Union, Walthall, Warren, Wayne, Wilkinson, Yalobusha, and Yazoo.
Landowners must submit an application for entry into the program. The deadline for applications for the 2023 funding cycle is October 20, 2023. All applications will be competitively ranked based on potential habitat benefits and will be selected for funding by the Mississippi Partners for Fish and Wildlife. Once the deadline for applications within a funding cycle has passed, landowners may submit an application, but it will be held by the Fire on the Forty Steering Committee until a new funding cycle begins. If you have a problem with the application process, or for more specific questions, please email john.gruchy@wfp.ms.gov.
Educational Program
The Fire on the Forty Steering Committee has worked closely with the MDWFP, Mississippi Prescribed Fire Council, Mississippi Forestry Commission, Mississippi State University Extension Service, and other partners to develop workshops to introduce landowners to prescribed fire.
The Fire on the Forty initiative was made possible through funding from multiple sources, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, and the Mississippi Forestry Commission. The program is administered by a committee of resource professionals from the MDWFP, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi State University, Wildlife Mississippi, Mississippi Forestry Commission, National Wild Turkey Federation, and the Foundation for Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.
An article about Fire on the Forty was recently published in The Wildlife Professional, a nationally syndicated magazine for natural resource professionals.
Fire on the Forty Workshops
Fire on the Forty workshops provide an opportunity for landowners to learn about prescribed fire in a classroom setting, followed by a field exercise where landowners are given the opportunity to participate in an actual prescribed burn, weather permitting. Workshops are organized by multiple partners and may be hosted at state-owned facilities, such as Wildlife Management Areas, State Parks, and State Lakes, or even on private lands where possible. The Fire on the Forty Steering Committee works with the Mississippi Prescribed Fire Council to focus workshops within focal areas. However, workshops are also conducted outside of focal areas where landowner interest is high or logistics for conducting workshops are highly favorable.
The classroom session of the workshop covers fire weather, ignition and suppression techniques, prescribed burn planning, habitat management considerations, and information about fire liability and legal considerations. The field session includes hands-on instruction on pre-fire planning and communication, ignition and firing techniques, fire suppression, safety, and post-burn evaluations.
Landowners are required to sign a liability waiver to participate in the field portion of the workshop. Landowners do not receive any type of certification by successfully completing a Fire on the Forty workshop, but prescribed burn manager certification is discussed, and landowners are encouraged to pursue certification prior to conducting burns.
2024 Workshops
Fire on the Forty workshops for spring 2024 have not yet been scheduled.
To request a workshop in your area, please contact John Gruchy (john.gruchy@wfp.ms.gov). Continue below for information about previous workshops.
Past Workshops
Since 2012, 37 Fire on the Forty workshops have been conducted in 33 Mississippi counties, reaching more than 1,200 landowners. Content for each workshop may vary based on available presenters as well as local burning opportunities. Past workshops include ones conducted on the Charles Ray Nix and Marion County WMAs, and in Percy Quin State Park.
