Changes to the province’s Harvest Plan Map Viewer (HPMV) are causing concern for those who keep their eye on the forestry industry.
The Department of Lands and Forestry’s virtual map is used to show Nova Scotians where a potential cut will take place on crown land and provide a way for the public to comment on it.
As of January, the map legend now breaks down harvests into seven different types instead of just clearcut or partial harvest.
The word clearcut is nowhere to be found.
Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft says most people don’t know the terminology being used on the map.
“This is just another guise to make it more difficult for people to try to keep up with what’s happening.”
He says the move isn’t in keeping with the independent forestry review conducted by William Lahey, which called for more transparency in the Department of Lands and Forestry.
Meanwhile, Jon Porter, Executive Director of Renewable Resources at the Department of Lands and Forestry, says the public wanted more details on the Harvest Plan Map Viewer.
The map includes some details that were harder to view before, such as national parks and wilderness areas.
Porter says the removal of the definition of clearcut came from feedback from the public.
“Some of the feedback that we got was that people wanted to see the actual detailed harvest prescriptions whether it was a seed tree harvest for example or shelterwood or a selection harvest.”
Porter says anyone confused about the definitions can find them in Nova Scotia’s Forest Management Guide.
However, the guide, which comes in the form of a PDF is not easily found on the website.
Those looking for it first have to go to the Department of Lands and Forestry’s website, then find the header “Research and Information Services” on the bottom left corner of the website.
From there, viewers must choose forestry, then they’ll be taken to another page, where they can find the guide.
It is not located on the same page as the HPMV, nor are the definitions of the prescriptions.
Another change means harvests that have gone beyond the comment period have now been removed.
Porter confirmed they are removed from the map within days of the comment period closing.
Bancroft says that’s a problem.
“Eliminating the harvest after the whole thing’s closed, taking it off, is making it difficult for people like me to get into sites where there are moose nearby and to examine what’s going on because all of a sudden the whole thing is gone,” he says.
Porter counters that the HPMV was never meant to store historical data.
“It was always designed just to have the sites that were proposed for harvest available for people to see and provide comments and feed back on.”
Porter says the map was difficult for those with slow internet connections to load and eliminating harvests that were beyond their comment period should speed up its load time.
Porter says although the changes have been made, the department hasn’t ruled out further updates to the map if there is concern from the public.
Story by Brittany Wentzell
Twitter: @BrittWentzell
Email: wentzell.brittany@radioabl.ca
