OXFORD, Miss. – State Sen. Nicole Boyd stepped in to champion Lafayette County officials after the Mississippi Forestry Commission initially declined the county’s request for a temporary burn ban, pressing the state agency to reconsider before worsening conditions led to a serious wildfire.
Boyd, R-Oxford, sent a letter Sept. 2 to State Forester Russell Bozeman asking for immediate approval of the burn ban requested by the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors.
The Forestry Commission approved the Lafayette County burn ban the following morning. Mississippi Today reported on the decision and the circumstances surrounding the county’s request.
The county’s request followed weeks of extreme heat and dry conditions. According to Lafayette County Fire Chief Wes Anderson, responders handled 16 grass, vegetation, brush or woodland fires between Aug. 1 and Sept. 2.
One of those fires occurred Sept. 1 when a controlled burn escaped and required assistance from the Mississippi Forestry Commission.
Anderson reported that the county’s most recent rainfall before the request was just 0.04 inches on Aug. 26. Much of Lafayette County was classified as abnormally dry, while temperatures during the previous two weeks averaged between 95 and 97 degrees and reached 102.
Boyd said those conditions made the Forestry Commission’s initial rejection particularly troubling.
“Today, the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors did exactly what responsible government should do,” Boyd wrote on Facebook. “They examined the facts, listened to local emergency professionals and acted before a dangerous situation became a disaster.”
Boyd said she understood the commission’s initial reasoning to be that Lafayette County had not experienced enough fire activity.
She strongly disagreed.
“A burn ban is a prevention tool, not a reward for waiting until enough fires have already occurred,” Boyd wrote in her letter to Bozeman.
The Mississippi Forestry Commission says county boards of supervisors normally request burn bans during drought or wildfire conditions, with the commission responsible for approving those requests.
Boyd argued that requiring additional fires before approving preventative measures defeated the purpose of a burn ban.
“Exactly how many fires would be enough? Twenty? Thirty?” Boyd wrote. “Must we lose a home, injure a volunteer firefighter or burn hundreds of acres before prevention becomes acceptable?”
She also pointed to Oxford’s recent water conservation request prompted by drought-like conditions and extreme temperatures, as well as Lafayette County’s significant forested acreage, including portions of the Holly Springs National Forest.
Boyd praised county supervisors and emergency personnel for attempting to get ahead of the danger rather than waiting for a major fire.
“Our supervisors and emergency professionals are choosing to prevent fires rather than simply wait to put them out,” she wrote. “That is responsible government.”
Boyd also noted that Grenada County had already received approval for a burn ban and questioned why Lafayette County’s request was being treated differently.
In her letter, Boyd asked the Forestry Commission to approve the county’s request without delay. If the agency continued to refuse, she requested a written decision detailing the data and conditions considered in reaching that conclusion.
“The people of Lafayette County deserve more than an oral rejection resting on the proposition that not enough has burned yet,” Boyd wrote.
The pressure produced a quick result.
By the next morning, the Forestry Commission confirmed that a burn ban was in place for Lafayette County.
Boyd welcomed the decision and credited both the agency for reconsidering and Lafayette County officials for taking preventative action.
“We appreciate the forestry service calling this morning and agreeing to put the ban in place!” Boyd wrote in an update. “We appreciate all of the efforts of our Lafayette County officials and their proactive leadership.”
During a burn ban, outdoor burning that produces an ember is prohibited. Additional information about current bans and restrictions is available from the Mississippi Forestry Commission’s burn ban page.
For Boyd, the dispute was about more than a temporary restriction on outdoor burning. It was about standing behind local officials who saw a developing threat and acted before it became an emergency.
“The status quo says: wait until it gets worse,” Boyd wrote. “Responsible leadership says: prevent it from getting worse.”
In this case, Lafayette County leaders chose prevention, and Boyd made sure their concerns were heard at the state level.
