Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 2 - Agriculture and Commerce › Part 602 - Program Areas › Chapter 5 - Forest Protection › Rule 2-602-5.1 - Burn Ban Request Procedure

Current through June 25, 2024
The State Forester or his designee shall have the authority
				  to utilize all applicable indices, models or reports to assess the drought
				  and/or extreme wildfire conditions. Should these conditions, in his judgment,
				  constitute a serious threat, the State Forester or his designee shall notify
				  the county Boards of Supervisors that these conditions exist and may request or
				  recommend that the Boards of Supervisors enact a temporary ban in accordance
				  with the statute on all outdoor burning or the type burns which are escaping
				  and causing wildfires. The State Forester or his designee shall also notify the
				  Boards of Supervisors when these conditions have abated.
The State Forester or his designee will consider any request
				  made by a Boards of Supervisors for a temporary burning ban which is made in
				  accordance with established procedures.
In order to assess the need for a request to a county Boards
				  of Supervisors to implement a burning ban per Miss. Code Ann. §
									49-19-351
				  (Rev. 2003), or to evaluate a request from a county Boards of Supervisors for
				  same, all applicable sources of information may be utilized. These sources may
				  include, but are not limited to, some or all of the following models, indices,
				  reports, forecasts or other pertinent information. Depending on the prevailing
				  conditions, the relative importance or weight given to various items from each
				  source of information may not be equal.
A. Keetch-Bryam Drought Index
				(KDBI)
B. Fire Spread
				Index
C. Daily Fire
				Report
D. Large Fire
				Activity
E. Rainfall
				Deficit
F. Fuel Moisture
				Readings
G. Long and Short Range
				Weather Forecasts H. Analysis of Fire Causes
If conditions indicate a need for a burning ban, the State
				  Forester or his designee will contact the appropriate Forestry Commission
				  District Office in the areas affected. The District Foresters or their designee
				  will forward the information to the Boards of Supervisors in their respective
				  Districts. If the Boards of Supervisors approves the recommended burning ban,
				  they shall by order notify the Forestry Commission District Office.
If the Boards of Supervisors wish to institute a ban, they
				  will make a request in writing to their respective Mississippi Forestry
				  Commission District Office. The request must outline, specifically, the reasons
				  for requesting the ban and contain a specific period of time, beginning and
				  ending, that the ban will be in effect. The District Forester will review the
				  request and forward it to the State Forester with a written recommendation on
				  whether the ban should be implemented. Requests will not be considered until
				  the District Forester in the affected area is consulted and makes a
				  recommendation on the request.
The flow of information will either be down from the State
				  Office to the District Offices to the Presidents of the Boards of Supervisors
				  or up from the Boards of Supervisors President to the District Offices to the
				  State Office.
Should a ban be implemented by a Boards of Supervisors
				  without following the provisions of Miss. Code Ann. §
										49-19-351(Rev.
				  2003) or the Mississippi Forestry Commission's (MFC) procedures to implement
				  them, the responsibilities for those actions will fall on the Boards of
				  Supervisors.
Miss. Code Ann. §
										49-19-351
				  (Rev. 2012).