JACKSON, Miss. – Governor Tate Reeves signed an updated Shared Stewardship Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), bringing together the State of Mississippi with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) served as the lead state agency in developing the agreement. The MOU establishes a framework for state and federal agencies to coordinate forest management, align resources, and support locally driven priorities across Mississippi. By working across ownership boundaries, the partnership will help improve forest resilience, strengthen rural economies, and ensure the long-term sustainability of Mississippi’s forest resources. …Under the MOU, the USDA Forest Service will work with Mississippi to expand active forest management through prescribed fire, invasive species control, wildlife habitat improvement, forest product market development, Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) projects, wildfire risk reduction, and coordinated planning for natural disasters, research, and cultural resource protection.