The 1996 U. S. Forest Service Inventory showed harvesting levels for the industry twice as great as growth, and MFS found overharvesting by 37 percent in its 1998 timber supply report. The 1999 wood processor report shows cut levels higher than ever, with a one-year 28 percent increase in hardwood volume, according to Carter. This level of clearcutting is far beyond what is silviculturally justified - and there are alternatives. The trial program, developed in response to a year-long study of the university's legendary parking problems, stands to benefit the broader community as well, reducing traffic congestion along Route 2 and decreasing noise and air pollution, accidents, and commuter frustration. The cost of the pilot program is to be paid out of the Student Comprehensive Fee, an annual charge to all UMaine students.
All buses are handicapped-accessible and can carry bicycles safely.
Joe MacNeil, director of The Bus, expects the program will provide about 8,000 rides to area students this year. There is no limit to the number of trips a student can take on the bus line, he said, although the anticipated times of greatest use are in the mid-morning and late afternoon, when the dreaded Orono rush hour reaches paralyzing proportions. Noisy log trucks headed for the Fort James mill in Old Town mix it up with loaded dump trucks from Sunrise Materials. In the afternoon, the process reverses itself. With much of the traffic that accumulates in Orono headed for the university, it's no surprise that parking has been a hot topic on campus for years.