The Forestry Corporation searched a NSW forest for greater gliders during the day, when the endangered animals would have been asleep.

But the Environment Protection Agency has slapped it with two successive 40-day stop work orders amid concerns over its efforts to preserve hollow den trees the gliders need to survive.

She noted many more hollow trees that might in fact be den trees had been retained.

Three conservation groups recently went into the forest and found 17 den trees over a small area, but their survey work was done from dusk into the night. They’ve welcomed the action by the EPA but say it’s time for the NSW government to intervene.

“However, it does require them to plan, implement and undertake forestry operations in a competent manner, including to find and protect all greater glider dens with 50-metre exclusion zones,” it said.