We present evidence that fire suppression may have contributed to the fungal decline of torreya (Torreya taxifolia). During the 1950's torreya suffered a catastrophic die-back. The torreya die-back was probably caused by needle pathogens induced through environmental stress. Several environmental stresses were concurrent with the decline of torreya. One of these stresses may have been fire suppression. Torreya grows within ravines, where fires do not usually occur. However, smoke from the frequent natural upland fires settled into ravines. We present data showing that several needle pathogens isolated from torreya have reduced germination and growth rates on substrates treated with smoke. Succession, as a result of fire suppression, also reduced light incidence within ravines. We show that torreya gorwth is correlated with light incidence. We discuss the fire hypothesis in the context of other hypotheses for the torreya decline. [Abstract only. Program and abstracts. 76th Annual ESA Meeting, San Antonio, TX, August, 1991.]© by the Ecological Society of America. Abstract reproduced by permission