The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is continuing its partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Foundation for Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Wildlife Mississippi, the Mississippi Forestry Association and others to provide cost-share for prescribed burning on private lands. Since its inception in 2011, the “Fire on the Forty” program has provided cost-share funding for prescribed burning on more than 72,000 acres in North and South Mississippi.

Prescribed fire is a very important tool for forest and wildlife management.  As part of the “Fire on the Forty” initiative, the partnership will reimburse burning projects in selected focal counties up to 50 percent of costs for implementing and performing a prescribed burn.  These focal counties include Monroe, Lowndes, Noxubee, and Prentiss in North Mississippi and Amite, Pike, Walthall, Jefferson Davis, Covington, Marion, Lamar, Pearl River, and Forest in South Mississippi. For more information or to view a map of focal areas visit www.mdwfp.com/fireontheforty.

Landowners must submit an application for entry into the program prior to Nov. 3 to be considered for this year’s funding.  All applications will be competitively ranked based on potential habitat benefits for wildlife. Funding for the “Fire on the Forty” initiative is provided by the U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Southern Company, and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

 For more information regarding wildlife management on private lands, visit our website at www.mdwfp.com/privatelands, email john.gruchy@wfp.ms.gov, or call us at 601-432-2199. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDWFPonline.