32 



MISSISSIPPI S FOREST RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES 



ing after logging operations only because of the law. 

 This is a considerable achievement, yet an even bigger 

 job remains. 



That compliance v^'ith the act has not been greater 

 is due to several factors. Apparently, enforcement is 

 hindered by the huge job of checking thousands of 

 cutting operations. This is especially true of the many 

 small contractors who move rapidly from one location 

 to another. The smallness of the penalty — a maximum 

 fine of $50 — also encourages many operators to violate 

 the law. That is, they may make a greater immediate 

 income by clear cutting, even when fined, than by 

 obeying the law. Perhaps the chief obstacle to ob- 

 servance of the law is that logging contractors and 

 forest landowners frequently do not realize its value to 

 timber production. 



Fire Protection by Forest Landowners 



Owners of a large part of the forest try to stop forest 

 wildfires, at least by fighting fires themselves or enlist- 

 ing the help of land managers, tenants, or neighbors. 

 But owners of only a tenth of the privately held forest 

 install fire lanes, firebreaks, or other structures and 

 equipment. Firebreaks and lanes are used chiefly on 

 small holdings. More elaborate installations and 

 equipment, such as trucks, radios, and airplanes are 

 used mainly on the large industrial holdings. 



Management rating is usually better on properties 

 where fire-protection installations and equipment are 

 furnished by the forest owner than on other properties 

 (fig. 32). This relationship exists partly because of 

 the contribution of fire protection to management, and 



partly because the o\vners who plan and organize for 

 the suppression of fires also make greater efforts to 

 improve cutting practice. 



State Fire Protection 



Although private installations and efforts are de- 

 sirable in protecting forests from fire, it is usually 

 recognized that the main burden for forest-fire pro- 

 tection rests upon the State. In 1947, 26 counties out 

 of the 82 in Mississippi were under the State-admin- 

 istered fire-protection system; in 1949, 38 counties. 

 State fire protection in Mississippi has been making 

 rapid gains in recent years, but it still needs to be 

 extended to many more counties. 



Attitudes of Owners Toward Timber 

 Management 



Much of the poor timber management in Missis- 

 sippi is explained by owners' underlying attitudes. 

 Many of these attitudes need to be understood and 

 changed if management is to be improved. In recog- 

 nition of the importance of the subject, a sample of 

 some 1,000 forest landowners in Mississippi was inter- 

 viewed in the course of the forest management study. 



Burning of Forest Land 



Owners of less than 5 percent of the forest land ad- 

 mit burning their own woodlands. This is strong evi- 

 dence that public and private efforts in the campaign 

 against woods burning have built up considerable pop- 

 ular sentiment against burning. Even when an owner 



TRUCKS, TOWERS, 

 PERCENT OF RADIOS, ETC. 

 FOREST AREA (621,000 ACRES) 

 501 • 



25 



EG F P VP . D 



FIREBREAKS AND LANES 

 (818,000 ACRES) 



50 



25 









-1 



E G F P VP D 



NO INSTALLATIONS 



OR EQUIPMENT 

 (13,346,000 ACRES) 



50 













25 



















rTr!:^ 







n 



1 



EG F P VP 



Figure 32. — Management rating of Jorcst land by type oj private fire-protection installations and equipment, 7947-48. {E^ excellent, G=good, 



F=Jair, P=poor, VP^= very poor, D^destruclive.) 



