Logging machines have been spotted in Glenbog State Forest, one of the most critical remaining habitats for the nationally endangered Greater Glider.

For the past two months, we have been in the field almost continuously, day and night, right through the Christmas and New Year holidays. We have been searching the dense forests of Glenbog for the homes of the threatened species that must be protected under the existing rules for logging operations – like greater glider den trees.

We have now found 102 greater glider den trees, each one creating a 50m exclusion zone within which logging is prohibited. This is an incredible number to find in just a 500 ha patch of forest, particularly considering we have by no means surveyed the whole area. In contrast, Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW) only managed to find four den trees.

But on the day that our den tree count passed one hundred, the logging machines moved in, ready to begin felling.

This map shows our citizen science records. In partnership with Jarake Wildlife Sanctuary and Bob Brown Foundation, we have found 666 wombat burrows, 102 greater glider den trees, 6 large stick nests and one yellow-bellied glider den tree - all of which must be protected under logging rules and agreements.

Last Friday, we submitted an urgent report to FCNSW detailing the results of our work. Given the existence of such an extraordinary number of threatened species that must be protected, we are hoping that FCNSW will agree to abandon logging in Glenbog State Forest altogether.

A harvester machine parked in Glenbog on Thursday, ready to begin work. It  can fell and process a living tree into logs in a matter of minutes.

Wombats: buried alive

Led by Jarake Wildlife Sanctuary, we have also been searching for wombat burrows. When heavy machinery crushes the ground and fells trees weighing many tonnes, wombats are regularly buried alive. They face a slow and painful death. By agreement with FCNSW, Jarake has ensured that loggers must protect these burrows from destruction. The 666 burrows we have found so far demonstrate the exceptional concentration of this protected native species in the area.

A wombat sits in its burrow entrance in Glenbog, unaware of the logging machines just down the road. Credit: David Gallan.

Birds need trees too

Led by Birdlife Southern NSW, we have found numerous records of threatened Flame Robins and nationally endangered Gang-gang Cockatoos. Both species nest in hollows in old trees, and those nest trees - just like Greater Glider den trees - receive logging exclusion zones if found.

A male and female pair of Gang-gang cockatoos sits high in a tree in Glenbog, in the area about to be logged. Credit: Heidi Lincoln.

While we wait to hear back from FCNSW, our work in the field continues. Thank you to everyone who has supported our small team during this intensive period. We hope that every den tree, burrow, and picture we have recorded will demonstrate the simple truth that Glenbog must not be logged.