Even with that 19 percent decline, forest products employment was 49,300. And with Asia's woes curtailing exports, mills in the Northwest have had more logs available. The interesting thing about Packwood is that it too is still around. Not to minimize the impact of the loss of that mill. The immediate impact is evident.
Secondary impacts are evident too.
There are five businesses for sale in town that have no buyers. Among the people who stay, some commute to Tacoma, Seattle or the Eastside for jobs. What you might expect at this point is a cliched, weepy profile of a dying town in desperate times with no hope or fight left in it. But that's not the case of Packwood. The incubator, which could house up to four fledgling businesses, will be ready next month, and Grose says the authority would like to add up to three more.