Sustainable Forestry in Mississippi

Mississippi Forestry Association, or MFA, organized in 1938, is a not-for-profit organization representing a broad range of members in Mississippi’s forestry community such as timberland owners, professional foresters, logging contractors, forest products manufacturers, wood fiber suppliers, state and federal agencies, and suppliers of products and services.

The MFA members are leading Sustainable Forestry Initiative, or SFI, implementation in Mississippi. SFI is based on the premise that responsible environmental behavior and sound business decisions can not only co-exist but support one another. SFI participants practice sustainable forestry on all lands they manage and purchase raw materials through an SFI approved procurement system.

SFI activities in MS include:

logger education on how to implement best management practices and harvest planning;
landowner outreach to encourage landowners who sell timber to follow voluntary BMPs and protect water and site quality by replanting;
public awareness information, along with performance measures and an annual report of progress in achieving sustainability goals; and
response to complaints about practices inconsistent with the SFI program.

In addition to SFI, the Mississippi Forestry Commission also promotes the use of Best Management Practices, or BMPs,

to control nonpoint sources of water pollution, as required by Section 319 of the 1987 Water Quality Act.

Nonpoint source pollution is any pollution in which the specific point of generation and exact point of entry into a watercourse cannot be defined. Origins of nonpoint source pollution include percolation, seepage and surface runoff from agricultural and silvicultural lands, and from construction, mining, and urban areas.

Best management practices prescribed in Mississippi fall into the following categories:

Streamside Management Zones
Skid Trails and Haul Roads
Forest Harvesting
Site Preparation
Tree Planting
Artificial Revegetation of Disturbed Forest Sites