Fire on the Forty wins national land stewardship award
JACKSON — Mississippi’s Fire on the Forty Initiative received the Land Stewardship Award from the National Wild Turkey Federation during the federation’s 50th annual Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, state wildlife officials announced Friday.
The program, led by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, promotes the expanded use of prescribed fire on privately owned fields and upland forests. Fire on the Forty offers hands-on workshops for landowners and cost-sharing assistance to help apply controlled burns, officials said.
The initiative draws funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Mississippi Forestry Commission. A committee of resource professionals from MDWFP, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi State University, Wildlife Mississippi, the Mississippi Forestry Commission, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, Parks Marine Foundation administers the program.
“We are honored to see Fire on the Forty recognized for its impact on wildlife habitat across Mississippi,” said MDWFP Executive Director Lynn Posey. John Gruchy, MDWFP private lands program coordinator, said the award reflects strong partnerships and the lasting benefits prescribed fire provides for wildlife habitat and forest health. Prescribed burning is a common land-management tool used to reduce fuel, encourage native plants and improve habitat for species such as wild turkey. More information is available at mdwfp.com/privatelands.
