Forests cover large areas of Canada but only some of these forests are actively managed. The Map of Forest Management in Canada, 2017 version, provides a generalized classification of forest management in Canada, including: protected areas, Treaty/Settlement Lands (including Treaty Lands identified in Final Agreements, Land Claim Agreements and Settlements), Indian Reserves, other federal reserves (including military training areas), provincial and territorial reserves and restricted use areas, private lands, short- and long-term Crown forest tenure areas and areas with no current Crown timber dispositions. The Managed Forest Map of Canada dataset provides a wall-to-wall classification of lands in Canada. It does not differentiate areas of forest from non-forest. The Managed Forest Map of Canada differs from maps defining the area designated as “managed forest” for greenhouse gas inventory reporting purposes and does not replace those maps. Instead, the Managed Forest Map of Canada shows areas that are currently managed, as of June 2017, and provides generalized management type classification for those areas. Collaborating agencies plan to update the dataset periodically as needed, and remain open to receiving advice from experts concerning refinement priorities for future versions.

Kernel density estimation (KDE) utilizes spatially explicit data to model the distribution of a variable of interest. It is a simple non-parametric neighbour-based smoothing function that relies on few assumptions about the structure of the observed data. It has been used in ecology to identify hotspots, that is, areas of relatively high biomass/abundance, and in 2010 was used by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to delineate significant concentrations of corals and sponges. The same approach has been used successfully in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area. Here, we update the previous analyses with the catch records from up to 5 additional years of trawl survey data from Eastern Canada, including the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. We applied kernel density estimation to create a modelled biomass surface for each of sponges, small and large gorgonian corals, and sea pens, and applied an aerial expansion method to identify significant concentrations of these taxa. We compared our results to those obtained previously and provided maps of significant concentrations as well as point data co-ordinates for catches above the threshold values used to construct the significant area polygons. The borders of the polygons can be refined using knowledge of null catches and species distribution models of species presence/absence and/or biomass.

Grey Seal presence in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan. The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section (DFO Science) reviewed reported opportunistic sightings and local knowledge sources to estimate areas where Grey Seals are present and delineated these areas. A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section.

Atlantic salmon postsmolts were surveyed via surface trawling during 2001 and 2003. These data were provided to the Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. These data, and information from subsequent tagging studies were considered to estimate the likelihood of presence of Atlantic salmon within the Area Response Plan regions. Atlantic salmon presence varies seasonally and this spatial information should be used in conjunction with the temporal information in the attribute table. A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section.

Bluefin tuna landings are reported to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and stored in the Maritime Fishery Information System Database. This database was queried in January 2016 for all reported landings of Bluefin tuna in coastal Nova Scotia. Longline data was excluded due to location uncertainties associated with the gear. Bluefin tuna sightings are also reported opportunistically to the DFO Whale Sightings Database. The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section considered these landings and sightings to estimate the presence of Bluefin tuna within the Area Response Plan areas. Bluefin tuna presence varies seasonally and this spatial information should be used in conjunction with temporal information. A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section.

North Atlantic Right whale presence in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan areas. The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section (DFO Science) reviewed reported opportunistic whale sightings and local knowledge sources to estimate areas where Right whales are seasonally present and delineate these areas. A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section.