Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC)

Submit the online Cogongrass Control Program Application and agree to the Terms and Conditions; an MFC forester will contact you. Questions: badplants@mfc.ms.gov.

Deadline text on the page: Application form live; 'Limitations do apply based on funding availability, geographic location, and acreage/cost restrictions.'

General office

MFC invasive plants program

MFC provides approved landowners a free initial herbicide treatment of cogongrass on pastures, woodlands or other affected property, using state-hired contractors, to start long-term control of this invasive grass. Livestock must be removed or held from slaughter and hay not cut for 30 days after treatment. Landowners in the six coastal counties apply through MFC's RESTORE grant instead.



- Mississippi landowners with cogongrass on their property (pastures, yards, or woodlands)
- Properties in Pearl River, Stone, George, Jackson, Harrison or Hancock Counties apply through the RESTORE Grant Application; all others use the Cogongrass Control Program application
- An MFC forester determines whether the land qualifies; limits based on funding, location and acreage/cost
- Landowner grants access, marks boundaries and follows livestock/hay restrictions (30 days) per the Terms and Conditions

A reduction or waiving of fees for meeting a certain criteria.

Discount

MFC provides labor, herbicide and equipment at its own expense; no warranty of results; initial treatment only — landowner continues long-term control.

Published amounts: Approved applicants of the program may receive an initial herbicide treatment for the affected areas of their property at no charge. This work is done using contractors vetted and hired by the State of Mississippi.

Contact your local MFC office (Find Your Forester) and fill out the FRDP application (Form 660.2 Cost Share Agreement). The Area Forester helps prepare the prescription; the local office confirms funding amounts when the application is finalized.

Deadline text on the page: We accept applications for FRDP assistance on a first-come, first-served basis. Landowners who do not receive immediate cost-share assistance will be notified as soon as funds become available. All forestry practices must be completed during the fiscal year for which they are approved (July 1 – June 30).

Mississippi Forestry Commission main office

Todd Matthews

Forest Management Chief

Mississippi's state cost-share program for establishing and improving a crop of trees, created in 1974 and funded by the Timber Severance Tax. It reimburses landowners at flat per-practice rates (up to 75% of cost) for tree planting, site preparation, release, prescribed burning, firebreaks, pre-commercial thinning, mid-rotation treatments and more, up to $10,000 per year. Landowners work with their MFC Area Forester on a management prescription and pay costs up front.



- Landowners in Mississippi who own at least 10 acres of manageable forestland
- Private nonindustrial landowners, groups, or associations; landowning state agencies; a political subdivision of Mississippi
- A forest management prescription for each area receiving cost-share; practices completed in the approved fiscal year (July 1 – June 30)
- Cannot be applied on acreage already receiving federally-funded assistance; trees must be protected from destructive fire and grazing and managed for timber for at least ten years

A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

Landowner pays the total cost first; FRDP payment only after costs are paid and the practice passes final inspection; 10-year maintenance commitment (reimburse the state in full if practices are destroyed, excluding acts of nature or wildfire); not repeated for any practice except after natural-disaster failure.

Published amounts: Cost-share payments cover up to 75 percent (depending on the practice) of the total cost of implementing one or more forestry practices at the flat rate established for each practice. Eligible landowners can receive up to $10,000 of FRDP assistance each year. Cost Share Rates FY 2027 (per acre) include: Tree Planting-Pine (bare root) $90; Tree Planting-Hardwood $145; Tree Planting-Free Seedlings $56; Light Site Preparation-Chemical $65; Heavy Site Preparation-Chemical $70; Heavy Site Preparation-Mechanical $130; Release Chemical $60; Site Preparation Burning $30; Silvicultural Burning $26; Tree Planting - Containerized Longleaf $125; Tree Planting - Bareroot Longleaf $90; Tree Planting - Containerized Loblolly $125; Kudzu Control $150; Pre-Commercial Thinning $200; Hack & Squirt (TSI) $262; Mulching $165 (full table in the FY 2027 rates PDF). Paid at the current cost-share rate or 75% of actual cost, whichever is less (Form 660.2).

Apply online through the RESTORE application (https://bit.ly/3HLPlHI); for information contact your Area Forester using the Forester Finder.

Deadline text on the page: No deadline published; 'Apply today and see if you are eligible.' Program launched June 2025 (MFC news, 2025-06-30).

A Gulf Coast landowner program funded by a $7.25 million RESTORE grant, offering free forestry work to improve water quality in priority coastal watersheds: prescribed burning, forest management plans, Tree Farm certification, and potentially tree planting, invasive plant treatment, mulching and permanent firebreaks. It serves landowners in Jackson, Harrison, Hancock, George, Stone and Pearl River counties. It also funds cogongrass treatment in those six counties.



- Landowners with at least 10 acres in coastal or priority watershed regions of MS for most services (smaller tracts may be eligible for cogongrass treatment)
- Forested acres within Jackson, Harrison, Hancock, George, Stone, or Pearl River counties
- Properties that support healthy forested watersheds and contribute to Gulf water quality goals
- Applicants who have not participated in the Forest Resource Development Cost Share Program during the current fiscal year (July 1 – June 30)

No cost to eligible landowners (100% cost-share); cannot be combined with FRDP in the same fiscal year.

Published amounts: Free if you qualify: 'Eligible participants will receive 100% cost-share support for a variety of forest management activities, including tree planting and invasive species treatment' (MFC news, June 2025). Free activities include prescribed burns on private lands, sustainable forest management plans and American Tree Farm System certification; other activities could include tree planting, invasive plant treatment, mulching and permanent firebreaks.

Submit the online Kudzu Treatment Program Application; an MFC forester will contact you (site visit) to determine qualification. Questions: badplants@mfc.ms.gov.

Deadline text on the page: Once an application to either program has been received, it is placed on a waiting list. Applicants are contacted based on a first-come, first-served basis and available annual funding. Funding for both programs is limited.

An MFC cost-share that reimburses Mississippi private landowners for part of the cost of kudzu treatment during mid-rotation forestry activities or in non-forested areas. Applicants get MFC approval first, hire an herbicide vendor, pay the vendor in full, then are reimbursed with documentation. Applications go on a first-come, first-served waiting list subject to limited annual funding.



- Mississippi private landowners with kudzu in mid-rotation forestry situations or non-forested areas
- Must apply and be approved by the MFC before treatment (an MFC forester determines whether the land qualifies)
- Applicants disclose any other state or federal funds received for invasive plant control

Applicant secures and pays the herbicide vendor first; partial reimbursement after completion with invoices; funding limited.

Published amounts: Reimbursement of part of the cost of treatment after the work is completed and invoices are paid (with proper documentation). Rate not published on the page (FRDP's Kudzu Control job code is $150 per acre).

Have a Registered Forester verify the work on Mississippi tax form 80-315 and submit it to the Mississippi Department of Revenue; contact MS DOR (dor.ms.gov) for the current-year form and requirements.

Deadline text on the page: Claimed with the landowner's Mississippi income tax return (form 80-315 for the current year).

A Mississippi income tax credit for non-industrial private forest landowners worth up to 50% of the cost of approved hardwood and pine reforestation practices. Landowners need a reforestation plan prepared by a Registered Forester, who verifies the work on tax form 80-315, which the landowner submits to the Department of Revenue. Orchards, Christmas trees and ornamental plantings do not qualify.



- Individuals or groups of non-industrial private forest landowners
- Reforestation plan prepared by a Registered Forester; work verified by a Registered Forester on Mississippi tax form 80-315
- Planting orchards, Christmas trees, or ornamental trees does not qualify
- Forest acreage already enrolled in a state or federal incentive program is not eligible (certain landowners may qualify for the credit in addition to incentive payments)

Up to 50% of approved reforestation costs as a state income tax credit.

Published amounts: Mississippi income tax credit up to 50% of the cost of approved hardwood and pine reforestation practices (annual/lifetime caps not stated on the MFC page).

Get on the waiting list and schedule a field visit; contact a local forester to plan the thinning; the Cost-Share Administrator inspects the stand before thinning (thinning before inspection disqualifies); enroll by signing a Cost Share Application and W-9 with proof of ownership and legal description.

Deadline text on the page: Now Accepting Applications in All Counties in Mississippi. Cost-share monies are administered on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified pine stands (waiting list). MFC SPB page, 2026-09-23: 'Very limited funding is available for the Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program to certain landowners who qualify.'

Joshua Skidmore

Forest Health Coordinator

Cost-share for private non-industrial landowners to thin dense pine stands (pre-commercial and first commercial thinnings) before southern pine beetle outbreaks, regardless of pulpwood markets. Pays up to $100 per acre, capped at $10,000 (100 acres) per individual or $15,000 (150 acres) for multi-member entities. Funded by the USDA Forest Service and administered by MFC; funding is currently described as very limited.



- Non-industrial landowner owning no more than 5,000 acres (sole proprietors, partnerships, family limited partnerships, LLCs, trusts, estates; usually excludes C-corporations and REITs)
- Pine plantation must NOT already be enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
- 20 acres (or more) of contiguous pine stand; multiple parcels up to 100 acres per application
- Pre-commercial thinning: 4-12 years old, more than 700 stems per acre, at least 70% loblolly, shortleaf or slash pine, SPB hazard moderate or higher; first commercial thinning: 12 years or older, at least 70% loblolly/shortleaf/slash, SPB hazard high or very high

Receipts for actual costs required before payment (federal reporting); rate is $100 per acre or cost, whichever is less (2024 Guide).

Published amounts: Landowners may be eligible for up to $100 per acre for pre-commercial and first-commercial thinnings. Total cost shares will not exceed $10,000 (100 acres) per individual landowner (sole proprietor). There is also a limit of $15,000 (150 acres) for a partnership, LLC, FLP, estate, or trust with two or more members.

Submit the Mississippi Forest Legacy Program Application by the annual deadline (2026: July 1, 2026); see the Forest Legacy Program Plan and USFS scoring guidance.

Deadline text on the page: Mississippi Forest Legacy Program 2026 Application – Deadline to Apply July 1, 2026.

Richard McInnis

Assistant State Forester

Mississippi's instance of the federal Forest Legacy Program, which protects environmentally important private forestland threatened by conversion through conservation easements or land purchases from willing sellers. Nominations must fall within one of three Forest Legacy Areas (North, Central, Southeast) and compete nationally; federal funds may cover up to 75% of project costs. The 2026 application deadline was July 1, 2026.



- Tract must be within a designated Mississippi Forest Legacy Area (North, Central or Southeast)
- Nominated by a willing landowner or representative by the deadline
- Must meet state and national program objectives; working forestlands with important timber, fish and wildlife habitat, water and other values receive priority
- 25% non-federal cost share required

Payment per unit of land to do or avoid certain practices related to land management.

Easement

Up to 75% federal share of project costs; 25% non-federal match; competitive national ranking.

Published amounts: Federal funds via a competitive grant to the MFC may provide up to 75 percent of FLP project costs. The remaining 25 percent (cost share) must come from non-federal sources (2026 Fact Sheet).

List of Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) Funding Opportunities