## 4 Discussion
### Long Term Ecological Implications?  
The actual impact of the fires on the tree mortality, tree cover density and longer term effects are difficult to assess at this stage. However, a field visit to one of the affected areas three months after the fires showed that the flames had reached the crowns of the trees, some 20-30 m high. The regrowth of the Marantaceae was already clearly visible as illustrated in Figure 11. Marantaceae, being pioneer plants, easily invade new open areas (following natural or anthropogenic disturbances). Doing so, they prevent the regeneration of trees and lead to an opening of the forest canopy cover [35].  
The intrusion of fire into the borders of the Marantaceae forests can present a risk in terms of densification of this herbaceous species into the understory of denser forest formations. [PERSON] et al., [39] have documented that Marantaceae forests may be maintained by occasional fire events. Specific attention in the coming years should be put in following the vegetation regeneration in the transition zones between Marantaceae forests and other forests types.  
Most species in closed canopy evergreen forests have thin bark and are more vulnerable to fires than drier forests [8; 62]. It is known that fires can lead to tree mortality up to three years after the fire event [63], so the full impact of this episode cannot yet be determined.  
Field survey would be important to complement the satellite study and to understand better what exactly has burnt (trees, Marantaceae herbs), and also to monitor in time the vegetation regeneration. This would be important to determine what would happen in case of a recurring scenario of fires in this ecosystem, a major ecological question--if El Nino events are to become more frequent and access to the forest continues to increase.  
According to climatic scenarios, length and intensity of dry seasons might indeed increase in the future in Central Africa [64]. Concerning accessibility, roads are considered as a proximate driver of fire [61]. In the study area, a rapid road network expansion has occurred in north of Republic of Congo since 1999 [65]. In Amazonia, a greater fragmentation of the forest has been shown to decrease the resilience of the forest to typical dry seasons, predisposing the fragmented forest to fires [66; 67]. The impact of logging on the propensity to fire of such formations needs to be assessed. A review of fires outbreaks and impacts in managed vs. non-managed concessions could help shed some light on such impacts. In theory, well-designed and fully implemented sustainable forest management plans reduce the collateral damage to the forests, especially through improved road-planning, effective road closure and post-harvesting monitoring, and as a result limit their susceptibility to fire.  
The crux of the fire problem in tropical rainforests is not so much the introduction of fire into these ecosystems but the frequency with which it returns [8]. It will therefore be important in the coming years to see if this event reoccurs. A repetition of this event, together with assessing the proportion of trees affected and their associated carbon emissions is also of concern for REDD+ implications.