As Australia braces for what could be another severe bushfire season, Gaela and Andrew Hurford of Hurford Hardwoods – who earlier this month almost lost a sawmill to fire – have launched a new range of T‑shirts designed to spark public conversation about the role of active forest management before, during and after wildfire.
Channelling Bruce Springsteen’s famous line, “you can’t start a fire without a spark,” the shirts draw attention to Professor Michael Shawn-Fletcher’s sage advice: “Well, it turns out you can’t have a fire without fuel.”
Gaela said the message has resonated strongly in communities: “They have attracted real attention,” she said, noting that the shirts — sold at cost price — have become “a genuine conversation starter in the community.” Andrew, who is chair of Timber NSW, has been wearing the t-shirts for more than six months at all his meetings at NSW Parliament House.
“The idea came after Professor Fletcher inspired us at a Forestry Australia conference – now I’m a walking billboard for proper fire management and sustainable forest management,” Andrew said.
So far, more than 100 shirts have already been sold, with Ironwood Taree among the first businesses to outfit staff in the new designs. Available in sizes small through to 4XL (at $30.00 plus $15.00 for postage), the shirts come in two versions: one illustrating the contrasting impacts of fire in managed and unmanaged forests, and another featuring Professor Fletcher’s warning that “neglect pretending to be conservation is destroying more than healing.”
About Professor Michael‑Shawn Fletcher
Professor Michael‑Shawn Fletcher, a Wiradjuri man and leading physical geographer, is internationally recognised for his research into the long‑term relationships between people, climate, fire and landscapes across the Southern Hemisphere. His work uses microfossils preserved in wetlands, tree‑ring analysis and other high‑resolution environmental records to reconstruct how ecosystems have changed over tens of thousands of years.
A central focus of his recent research is the role of Indigenous cultural burning in shaping Australia’s landscapes — and the need to meaningfully integrate Indigenous knowledge into contemporary land management. Director of Research Capability at the Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne, Professor Fletcher is an Associate Dean (Indigenous) in the Faculty of Science, and a member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts.
- To register your interest, click here to download the order form.
