At the end of August, Brazil's federal government presented a proposal for the 2016 budget that included a primary deficit estimated at R$30.5 billion (USD $8.4 billion) or 0.5% of GDP. According to the Minister of Planning, Nelson Barbosa, the government is predicting GDP growth of 0.2%, while inflation is expected to hit 5.4%. Together, these numbers suggest the country is going deeper into economic recession, perhaps even crisis.

Continue reading → ...»

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) wildfire season of 2015 has been extreme, to say the least. And while the worst seems to be behind us, there are active fires still burning in patches throughout the region. Nationwide, nearly 9 million acres have burned (5 million acres in Alaska alone), which is an area equivalent to the size of New Jersey and Connecticut combined.

Continue reading → ...»

International and domestic economic news continued to confound investors through August, with the DOW Jones Index plummeting more than 2000 points in a 3-week period before closing the month just above 16,000. As the summer building season comes to its close, housing starts for August were only slightly down, which breaks the three-month streak of positive numbers the segment has exhibited since May.

Continue reading ...»

Forestry-related industry performance in both the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors for the latter part of July and August followed the relatively flat trend that it has maintained for most of 2015.

Continue reading ...»

For many communities throughout the Pacific Northwest (PNW), Labor Day weekend, which traditionally represents the end of summer, didn't come soon enough. Likewise, the countless state, federal, and volunteer organizations that have battled devastating wildfires throughout the region are desperately hoping for some much-needed rainfall and cooler weather to subdue the fires. Just over a week ago, 26 fires were burning in the state of Washington alone, the largest being the Okanogan Complex fire that began with a lightning strike and grew to over 250,000 acres in size with 1,250 personnel fighting the fire.

Continue reading → ...»

Consumers and product end-users in the new global economy rarely think twice about the intricate supply chains and logistics networks that must be in place to bring merchandise to market. Efficient, safe, and cost-effective product movement via truck freight-both for in-bound raw materials and for outbound finished products-is critical for manufacturers to maintain competitive positions in their markets. Understanding the cut-throat nature of the global economy, Congressman Reid Ribble (R-WI) plans to introduce legislation that will bring much-needed change to obsolete US truck-weight guidelines and provide flexibility at the state level to improve truck freight efficiencies.

Continue reading → ...»