diff --git a/include/osgShadow/ShadowTechnique b/include/osgShadow/ShadowTechnique
index a9fc4be4c..0498ac46d 100644
--- a/include/osgShadow/ShadowTechnique
+++ b/include/osgShadow/ShadowTechnique
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ namespace osgShadow {
 // forward declare ShadowedScene
 class ShadowedScene;
 
-/** ShadowedScene provides a mechanism for decorating a scene that the needs to have shadows cast upon it.*/
+/** ShadowTechnique is the base class for different shadow implementations.*/
 class OSGSHADOW_EXPORT ShadowTechnique : public osg::Object
 {
     public :
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ class OSGSHADOW_EXPORT ShadowTechnique : public osg::Object
         virtual const char* libraryName() const { return "osgShadow"; }\
         virtual const char* className() const { return "ShadowTechnique"; }
 
+        virtual void setShadowedScene(ShadowedScene* ss);
+
         ShadowedScene* getShadowedScene() { return _shadowedScene; }
 
         const ShadowedScene* getShadowedScene() const { return _shadowedScene; }
diff --git a/src/osgShadow/ShadowTechnique.cpp b/src/osgShadow/ShadowTechnique.cpp
index aa5002117..ac43f8927 100644
--- a/src/osgShadow/ShadowTechnique.cpp
+++ b/src/osgShadow/ShadowTechnique.cpp
@@ -48,6 +48,11 @@ ShadowTechnique::~ShadowTechnique()
 {
 }
 
+void ShadowTechnique::setShadowedScene(ShadowedScene* ss)
+{
+    _shadowedScene = ss;
+}
+
 void ShadowTechnique::init()
 {
     OSG_NOTICE<<className()<<"::init() not implemented yet"<<std::endl;
diff --git a/src/osgShadow/ShadowedScene.cpp b/src/osgShadow/ShadowedScene.cpp
index 99404882b..232b867b0 100644
--- a/src/osgShadow/ShadowedScene.cpp
+++ b/src/osgShadow/ShadowedScene.cpp
@@ -80,14 +80,14 @@ void ShadowedScene::setShadowTechnique(ShadowTechnique* technique)
     if (_shadowTechnique.valid())
     {
         _shadowTechnique->cleanSceneGraph();
-        _shadowTechnique->_shadowedScene = 0;
+        _shadowTechnique->setShadowedScene(0);
     }
 
     _shadowTechnique = technique;
 
     if (_shadowTechnique.valid())
     {
-        _shadowTechnique->_shadowedScene = this;
+        _shadowTechnique->setShadowedScene(this);
         _shadowTechnique->dirty();
     }
 }