Letter to the Editor: response to Forestry statements

DEAR News Of The Area,

I WRITE to correct the public record about statements by Forestry Corporation (FCNSW) reported in NOTA on 9 January, 2026.

I breed (in the wild) and seek to increase the populations of Endangered Greater Gliders (GGs) and other globally significant biota on my conservation reserves.

In late 2023, FCNSW spent public funds surveying the several kilometre boundary between my private property and the adjoining State Forest (SF).

This was marked with boundary stakes, painted blazes and flagging tape.

FCNSW personnel trespassed with a bulldozer over 15m onto my property and drove within 50cm of a large boundary peg (installed by FCNSW itself) with pink flagging tape and ”boundary” clearly visible on it.

This happened on 8 January 2026 (and 21 February) NOT on 10 January.

The endangered habitat tree on my property that FCNSW killed was NOT “hazardous” or “overhanging” the state forest and was NOT “supported only by other trees in the state forest”.

There does not appear to be remorse or contrition evident in the statements made by FCNSW about their conduct on my property.

There was no “oversight”, because the boundary of my property was clearly marked by FCNSW and all personnel have GPS enabled devices.

What are FCNSW now “considering”?

The reason that FCNSW was fined $15K was because they trespassed onto my land and illegally destroyed my endangered Greater Glider habitat.

All NSW taxpayers paid for these offences.

FCNSW is a repeat offender with the destruction of endangered native animal habitat.

Fines should have been substantially more and the individual FCNSW personnel committing the offences should be held accountable and made to pay.

Mark Graham

Coffs Harbour