A resident told the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors that county environmental staff have unfairly pursued enforcement actions after he timbered about 10 acres of his 85-acre Zach Road property.

The speaker said he bought the wooded property in February 2022 and obtained U.S. Forest Service approval to timber 10 acres in February 2023. "The whole purpose of that project was to create a field usable area for my family to enjoy," he said, adding that debris removal after timbering left ground he described as "stabilized" and not causing soil or silt to leave the property.

The resident said Gloucester County staff have told him different things about the site and that, in his view, county mapping on gloucester.gov shows no wetlands where he cleared. He told the board that county enforcement officials recently entered the property without permission and that the county is seeking fines. "I would like the board as well as the county attorney to step up, to move away from this issue and to absolve us of what the county is pursuing," he said.

Board members allowed the speaker to address the meeting during the public comment period after discussion about the board's rules for public comment; the resident said he had been invited by a supervisor to speak. Supervisors did not announce any formal action or vote related to the enforcement allegations during the meeting.

The resident characterized his work as not involving development. "We're not putting in apartments. We're not putting in a strip center. We merely timbered legally and removed the debris after the fact leaving an open field," he said, adding that he believes wetlands were not destroyed. He offered to provide the board copies of Gloucester County mapping he said supports his description.

The board did not make a decision on enforcement during the meeting; no motion directing staff or the county attorney on this matter was recorded.