Editor Allan Leibowitz comments on the news of the week

A lot of attention - both local and global - is being focused at the moment on Australia's destructive wild fires. The scale of the tragedy and loss is not yet fully understood as fires continue to burn around the continent, destroying forests the size of European countries. There are no immediate reports of damage or losses among materials handling businesses, but there's no doubt large numbers of machines have been destroyed and will, at some stage, need to be replaced. There will also be heavy demand on fleets when the recovery process gets under way. Unlike the co-ordinated logistics and materials handling initiatives in the United States in the wake of hurricanes in recent years, it's unlikely that the forklift sector will be specifically called upon for assistance, but we're confident that the local businesses will step up if asked. Meanwhile, those concerned about the disaster, and particularly, the extensive destruction of wild life and natural habitats, can easily find suitable fundraising efforts to support, no matter where in the world you are located.