Forest Resource Development Program
馃嚭馃嚫 MS, United States 路 Mississippi Forestry Commission
Up to 75 percent of the cost of tree planting, site preparation, vegetation control, burning, firebreaks and thinning, capped at $10,000 per landowner per year
Created by the Legislature in 1974 and funded by the state timber severance tax, the Forest Resource Development Program (FRDP) pays flat-rate cost share, up to 75 percent depending on the practice, for establishing and improving a crop of trees: pine and hardwood planting (including longleaf and containerized stock), chemical and mechanical site preparation, herbaceous and woody vegetation control, silvicultural burning, firebreaks, pre-commercial thinning, fertilization, mid-rotation management and management plans. Landowners pay the full cost first and are reimbursed, must finish practices within the fiscal year approved (July 1 to June 30), and agree to protect the area from fire and grazing and manage it for timber for at least ten years.
Who qualifies
Mississippi landowners with at least 10 acres of manageable forestland: private nonindustrial landowners, groups or associations, landowning state agencies, and political subdivisions. Assistance cannot go to acreage already receiving federal cost share, and a practice is not funded twice unless it failed because of a natural disaster.
How to apply
Contact your local Mississippi Forestry Commission office and complete the FRDP Application linked on the program page, then work with your Area Forester (or a registered consulting forester) on a management prescription. Applications are accepted first come, first served; the local office confirms funding amounts, and applicants not funded immediately are notified when funds become available. Find your forester at mfc.ms.gov/contact/find-your-forester/ or call (601) 359-1386.
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