Reports - Mississippi Renewal

104 | AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND MARINE RESOURCESsissippi Department of Agriculture andCommerce (MDAC) to treat 90,000acres infected with cogongrass, a selectnumber of other species, and to controlgiant salvia, Chinese tallow trees, privethedge, and Japanese climbing fern inthe Presidential Disaster Area.Forest-Associated Wildlifeand Fisheries ResourcesHurricane Katrina caused injury notonly to the forest plant life, but also toanimals that will suffer due to habitatdestruction. Threatened or endangeredspecies, such as the gopher tortoises, redcockadedwoodpeckers, gopher frog,yellow blotched map turtle, ringed sawbackturtle, and bald eagle have sufferedsubstantial habitat damage. Although thetotal negative impacts of this storm areincomprehensible, an opportunity existsto restore habitat for bobwhite quailand providing additional economic opportunityfor regional tourism.The Commission recommends a $10million congressional appropriation tofund the Wildlife Habitat IncentivesProgram (NRCS) for species injured bythe destruction to the forests caused byHurricane Katrina.Fire PreventionAs a result of the hurricane, theamount of debris available for fuelinga wildfire is 10 to 20 times the normallevels in South Mississippi, increasingthe potential for fire hindering firefighting efforts. Wildfires occurring inthe damaged areas, therefore, will burnmore intensely and rapidly. Additionally,the opening of the canopy by HurricaneKatrina will cause native vegetationto grow excessively, adding to thedangerously high fuel levels across thearea. Existing fire lanes and forest roadsare now blocked with debris, and manypublic roads have only small open lanesnot wide enough for fire units.The Commission recommends a $60million congressional appropriation tofund the Mississippi Forestry Commission’sState Fire Assistance/HazardMitigation Program and to provide assistanceto local volunteer fire departments.The acquisition of additional firefighting equipment, contract fundingfor water drop capability with helicoptersand/or small aerial tankers, morewater handling capability in the formof slip-on pumper units, larger wildlandfire engines for ground attacks, and additionalpersonnel and training to staffthe units, are all required. Moreover,further mitigation activities are necessarybecause dead timber will take yearsto deteriorate to where it no longerposes a significant fire threat.Timber Sales/SalvageLogging/Storage Yards. The unsurpassedvolume of downed timber inthe affected areas has created complexissues. The amount of available downedand damaged timber quickly saturatedthe market, impacting timber pricesstatewide. It is anticipated that industry-ownedlands and large land holdingswill be harvested first, leavingthe small private, non-industrial forestlandowners with timber that cannot besold. Shipping distances, increased fuelcosts, logging restrictions, reduced efficiencyof harvest, availability of loggers,housing for loggers, insurance limitationson loggers, weight limits, and lackof rail transportation are other factorsaffecting the success of harvesting thedowned timber.The Commission recommends thatthe U.S. Department of Agriculture,Forest Service Economic Action Programbe funded with $4 million to assistloggers with fuel, housing, and thedevelopment of wet storage yards.Salvage Income Tax Exemption.While much of downed timber willhave little value due to splintering of thelogs, prompt salvage is needed to capturevalue and prevent future insect andwildfire outbreaks. The Commission