The search for causes and solutions this summer has dredged up many of the same fears and ideas explored a decade ago.

The issue of fuel reduction, in particular, was controversial then, and remains so now.

After a recommendation from the Bushfires Royal Commission, fuel reduction was increased significantly in Victoria, with an annual target of five per cent set for the amount of public forest that needed to be burnt.

But central Victoria's experience in the aftermath of Black Saturday holds an important lesson that many commentators seem to have forgotten.

Letter of the Week: Fuel reduction not a silver bullet for bushfire crisis

It was a disastrous planned burn that spread out of the Cobaw Forest - the scene of another dangerous fire in the past week - that destroyed several homes near Lancefield and led to the target being abandoned in 2015.

The focus since then has been on strategic burning, attempting to minimise the risks to people and property.

These are themes picked up by John McCallum, who wrote our Letter of the Week.

John argues that much of the burning carried out in the wake of Black Saturday was pointless and poorly timed.

He also notes another significant factor that puts limits on fuel reduction - the changing climate and the shortening period available to land managers trying to co-ordinate planned burns.

We have received several letters since the height of this summer's fire crisis from people advocating a return to a bigger fuel reduction program.

Some have accused governments or the Greens of locking up forests.

But the reality is that taking care of public bushland while managing fuel loads to try to protect those living in it, or nearby, is a hugely complex task.

New methods, and some traditional ones passed down by the Indigenous community, will be needed to avoid a repeat of this summer's distress.