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Mississippi Forestry Commission asks JLBC for authority to restore 32 firefighter positions, cites wildfire and timber impacts
Summary
The Forestry Commission outlined wildfire responses, forest‑health losses and a FY27 request for special‑fund authority to restore 32 firefighter positions plus pay‑plan phase‑2 adjustments funded largely by agency special funds.
Russell Boseman, representing the Mississippi Forestry Commission, told the JLBC that the agency responded to more than 1,700 wildfires covering roughly 43,000 acres last fiscal year and that those fires threatened more than 2,800 homes. He said the agency manages 480,000 acres of school trust lands and provides equipment and training to volunteer fire departments across the state.
Boseman described timber losses related to drought and a pine beetle epidemic (cited as $176 million in losses) and the first confirmed case of Emerald Ash Borer in Mississippi. He asked the committee to approve a flat general‑fund FY27 request complemented by special‑fund authority to restore 32 firefighter headcount positions that were cut in FY26; the restoration request of roughly $1.5 million would be funded with agency special funds to avoid tying up general fund dollars.
He also outlined phase‑2 of the forestry pay plan, which includes modest progression steps and equity adjustments for non‑firefighting staff and said the request is designed to improve recruitment and retention; the commission reported vacancy and recruitment improvements after prior compensation adjustments.
Committee members asked about recruitment approaches, use of seasonal contract crews, and pay equity between frontline firefighters and administrative positions. Boseman said seasonal contract pools of certified wildland firefighters are largely gone and the agency must build recruiting pipelines with junior colleges and local partners. The commission said increases in starting pay implemented last year reduced vacancy and attrition rates and asked the JLBC to consider the special‑fund restoration as a cost‑effective way to blunt higher out‑of‑state firefighting costs.
The committee did not vote but will consider the request in budget recommendations; the commission said several items are intended to be funded through agency special funds rather than new recurring general‑fund appropriations.
