Economic impact studies have been conducted on natural resource-related activities throughout the United States. However, a comprehensive analysis of impacts of USDA Forest Service activities has never been conducted in Mississippi. This study provided the needed analysis of economic impacts of National Forests and Research Units in Mississippi. The Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN) software and data were used to create a state economy model and the state economic data were analyzed for the fiscal year 2011. With US $117,864,243 in direct expenditures and revenues generated in the state, for the items considered, by the USDA Forest Service, the total economic impact was US $222,340,891 in 2011 dollars. This supported 2,962 full- and part-time jobs, and resulted in a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) total output multiplier of 1.89. This information showed the value of the National Forests to the state’s economy, along with contributions from the state-based Research Units.

Federal revenue sharing programs aim to make up lost tax revenue to counties that contain federal land, as counties do not receive any property tax revenue from publicly owned lands. This may have a significant impact on rural school districts with a limited tax base, as most funding for public education comes from property tax revenue. My analysis seeks to determine the full impact of certain federal revenue sharing payments (paid out by the U.S. Forest Service) on school districts in counties that contain U.S. Forest Service land. My analysis shows that the payments have little impact on school district budgets, indicating that states likely smooth for variations in the U.S. Forest Service payments.