It's been around for a while before LU19. I can't say when it arrived but I noticed it in my knowledge books a little over a month ago. I even dragged it down into the hot bars for a few characters and tried to make it do something but no luck!
Since it is a skill and not a combat art or spell, I have a feeling it is supposed to let us strip a harvest node without having to stand there through multiple clicks. If this is correct then there is probably some form of risk involved... like if you fail to find anything in the single click, the node is gone and you just get stiffed!
I'll keep playing with it and see if I can find something more concrete...