UPDATE: MAR 14, 2019. From Forestry Maps: “…the department has included historic harvest plan submissions again on the HPMV. You will notice that the ability to view the archived harvest plan approval submissions are now a selectable layer in the layer list, labelled as “Archive”. You will find the HPMV has been updated as of today, March 14, 2019.” View HPMV. So it seems all historic harvest plan submissions back to 2016 are included in the new layer.
UPDATE MAR 7, 2019: Some clarification (or possibly not) from L&F
In a reversal of its decision announced on Jan 30, 2019 to remove “harvest plans that are no longer open to comments… from the map and the legend in order to simplify the mapping, speed up the application’s response time and adhere to the intention of the HPMV” (Post Jan 31, 2019), Forestry Maps sent out this message today (Mar 5, 2019) to subscribers to Harvest Operation Maps notifications:
On January 31, the Department of Lands and Forestry made several adjustments to the Harvest Plan Map Viewer (HPMV), including changes that made maps easier to read and download. The department received significant feedback on these changes. Some users were disappointed that proposed harvest plans that were no longer open to public comments were removed from the HPMV.
In response, the department will include historic harvest plan submissions again on the HPMV. You will find the HPMV has been updated as of yesterday, March 4, 2019. Refer to the following location: https://nsgi.novascotia.ca/hpmv/ . Please see the attached document for additional details on all new submissions for this update. Again, please send your comments to ForestryMaps@novascotia.ca . The next update is scheduled for March 14, 2019.
Nova Scotians should have good access to Crown land information. We are working to improve how we can make information more accessible, both through the HPMV and the Provincial Landscape Viewer (insert URL). To that end, we welcome your ideas about how to improve these public viewers to make them as useful as possible. Please continue to send your suggestions to ForestryMaps@novascotia.ca.
Forestry Maps
Department of Lands and Forestry
Renewable Resources
Forestrymaps@novascotia.ca
https://nsgi.novascotia.ca/hpmv/ (HPMV website)
It’s not clear to me how long harvests closed to comment will remain on the HPMV – will it be until harvesting actually begins which sometimes can be several years? Are they now going back and reposting all approved harvests that have not actually begun?
Regardless, the change is welcomed.
I am also pleased Forestry Maps are thinking of highlighting the Provincial Landscape Viewer – see HPMV- What you get and some of what
you do not get on the Harvest Plan Map Viewer on this website.
Now if only they would include a layer with harvests in progress, and completed harvests (e.g. going back 10 years)… that would be a very positive development and would allow the question “Why can’t Nova Scotians be told what Crown land is slated to be cut and precisely when? (Post Mar 3, 2019) to be answered with “You Can, just look at the appropriate layer in the HPMV”.
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Mar 6, 2019, early a.m.: The changes do not seem to have been implemented yet.
Mar 7, 2018: Some clarification received by Bev Wigney:
Just received this reply regarding my email asking when the historic harvest plan submissions would be functional on the HPMV (Harvest Plan Map Viewer). This is their response:
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Historic harvest plan submissions have not yet been returned on the HPMV.The March 5, 2019 “HPMV update” email referred to the updating of new proposed harvest plans, not the return of historic harvest plan submissions as a new layer.
The department is working to have that information available on the HPMV as soon as possible, which means potentially for the next HPMV scheduled update (March 14, 2019) or more likely the update following that.
and some comments:
BW: I am looking forward to seeing if all of the info that predates the HPMV will be visible on the historic layer (2015 and before). Also, what kind of info the pop-ups will provide on if and when a parcel was harvested.
JD: From this statement in their email [“The March 5, 2019 “HPMV update” email referred to the updating of new proposed harvest plans, not the return of historic harvest plan submissions as a new layer”] it sounds as if they are not planning to include any historic layers previous to their announcement – so only new ones after the deadline for comments that would become then historic. Of course i could be mis-interpreting what they are saying. It sounds like a fresh “going forward” corporate speak approach to me. I guess we wait and see.
BW to JD: – You’re right. I didn’t ponder that enough. That’s pretty useless if that’s the case.
BW to DGP – how do you interpret this wording?
DGP: They need some help.
BW: Actually, reading the email again, I’m thinking they meant anything that is currently on the “open for comment” that becomes approved, and that they rest won’t be added until some later date, but Jacqueline, you’re right — it sounds weird and now makes me wonder just what they intend to include on the new layer.