Governor Bryant Issues Partial State Level Burn Ban in Mississippi
At the request of the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC), Governor Phil Bryant has issued a partial state level burn ban. The partial state level burn ban is effective immediately for the following fifty-two (52) counties, and has no exemptions. Visit www.mfc.ms.gov/burn-bans for an up-to-date list.
Jackson, MS, October 14, 2016 --(PR.com)-- At the request of the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC), Governor Phil Bryant has issued a partial state level burn ban. The partial state level burn ban is effective immediately for the following fifty-two (52) counties, and has no exemptions:
Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Carroll, Clay, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Coahoma, DeSoto, Grenada, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lauderdale, Leake, Lee, Leflore, Lowndes, Madison, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union, Warren, Washington, Webster, Winston, Yalobusha, Yazoo.
The MFC requested the partial state level burn ban due to the increase in wildfire occurrences, elevated drought conditions, dry vegetation, and the forecasted weather patterns. The 7-day forecast does not predict significant rainfall large enough to pull the state out of the current drought. These conditions have created an increased risk for devastating wildfires.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for the counties listed is currently near or above 700 - the KBDI maximum value is 800. The link below shows a visual representation of the current drought conditions: https://www.wfas.net/index.php/keetch-byram-index-moisture--drought-49
In addition, the Southern Area Coordination Center has issued a Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory for Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and part of Georgia through October 21, 2016. “With the passage of Hurricane Matthew along the east coast relative humidity values are forecast to drop into the teens over this area. There will also be a high likelihood of gusty winds, especially along the western face of the Appalachian Mountains.” For more information on the advisory, visit: http://gacc.nifc.gov/sacc/resources/safety/Fuels_fire_behavior_advisory_Final.pdf
Since September 1, 2016, the Mississippi Forestry Commission has responded to and suppressed 453 wildfires that burned 4,141 acres. During this time, 767 homes, commercial structures, and outbuildings were saved by MFC wildland firefighters, while 24 were destroyed or damaged. Our goal is that a partial state level burn ban will help prevent future wildfire occurrences.
Established in 1926, the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) protects the state’s valuable forest resources from wildfire, manages approximately 480,000 acres of forested School Trust Land, and delivers quality forest management services and assistance to both rural and urban landowners. Our mission is to provide active leadership in forest protection, forest management, forest inventory, and effective forest information distribution, necessary for Mississippi's sustainable forest-based economy. There are approximately 19.8 million forested acres in Mississippi. The forestry and forest products industry has a $12.3 billion economic impact on the state of Mississippi and represents almost 70,000 jobs.
Resources:
Mississippi Forestry Commission Website - www.mfc.ms.gov
Burn Ban list - www.mfc.ms.gov/burn-bans
Governor Bryant’s Proclamation - http://bit.ly/BurnBanProclamation
Visit the MFC on Facebook - facebook.com/MSForestryCommission
Visit the MFC on Twitter - twitter.com/MSForestryComm
Mississippi Forestry Commission Contact
Brighton Forester
bforester@mfc.state.ms.us
(601) 359-2821; (601) 500-0489
Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Carroll, Clay, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Coahoma, DeSoto, Grenada, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lauderdale, Leake, Lee, Leflore, Lowndes, Madison, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union, Warren, Washington, Webster, Winston, Yalobusha, Yazoo.
The MFC requested the partial state level burn ban due to the increase in wildfire occurrences, elevated drought conditions, dry vegetation, and the forecasted weather patterns. The 7-day forecast does not predict significant rainfall large enough to pull the state out of the current drought. These conditions have created an increased risk for devastating wildfires.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for the counties listed is currently near or above 700 - the KBDI maximum value is 800. The link below shows a visual representation of the current drought conditions: https://www.wfas.net/index.php/keetch-byram-index-moisture--drought-49
In addition, the Southern Area Coordination Center has issued a Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory for Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and part of Georgia through October 21, 2016. “With the passage of Hurricane Matthew along the east coast relative humidity values are forecast to drop into the teens over this area. There will also be a high likelihood of gusty winds, especially along the western face of the Appalachian Mountains.” For more information on the advisory, visit: http://gacc.nifc.gov/sacc/resources/safety/Fuels_fire_behavior_advisory_Final.pdf
Since September 1, 2016, the Mississippi Forestry Commission has responded to and suppressed 453 wildfires that burned 4,141 acres. During this time, 767 homes, commercial structures, and outbuildings were saved by MFC wildland firefighters, while 24 were destroyed or damaged. Our goal is that a partial state level burn ban will help prevent future wildfire occurrences.
Established in 1926, the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) protects the state’s valuable forest resources from wildfire, manages approximately 480,000 acres of forested School Trust Land, and delivers quality forest management services and assistance to both rural and urban landowners. Our mission is to provide active leadership in forest protection, forest management, forest inventory, and effective forest information distribution, necessary for Mississippi's sustainable forest-based economy. There are approximately 19.8 million forested acres in Mississippi. The forestry and forest products industry has a $12.3 billion economic impact on the state of Mississippi and represents almost 70,000 jobs.
Resources:
Mississippi Forestry Commission Website - www.mfc.ms.gov
Burn Ban list - www.mfc.ms.gov/burn-bans
Governor Bryant’s Proclamation - http://bit.ly/BurnBanProclamation
Visit the MFC on Facebook - facebook.com/MSForestryCommission
Visit the MFC on Twitter - twitter.com/MSForestryComm
Mississippi Forestry Commission Contact
Brighton Forester
bforester@mfc.state.ms.us
(601) 359-2821; (601) 500-0489
Contact
Mississippi Forestry Commission
Brighton Forester
601-359-2821
www.mfc.ms.gov
601-500-0489
Brighton Forester
601-359-2821
www.mfc.ms.gov
601-500-0489
Contact
Categories