Physiognomy and Structure: This alliance has a continuous canopy with trees less than 50 m in height. The canopy may be two-tiered. Shrubs are infrequent. The herbaceous layer is sparse.

Floristics: This forest alliance has Abies bracteata as the sole dominant or codominant species in the canopy. The broad-leaved evergreen tree Quercus chrysolepis is important or codominant in most stands. Several other conifers such as Pinus coulteri, Pinus ponderosa, or Pinus lambertiana may be present. Broad-leaved evergreens such as Arbutus menziesii and Notholithocarpus densiflorus (= Lithocarpus densiflorus) are often present. The deciduous tree Alnus rhombifolia may also be important. Shrubs are infrequent, and the herbaceous layer is sparse.

Dynamics:  Stands of Abies bracteata are best developed in sites protected from severe fire. These sites include rocky slopes, ridges, and canyons or ravines. Stands in ravines are normally found on stream terraces, usually with concave topography and seasonally saturated soils. These ravine stands could be considered palustrine. Some stands have probably been impacted by changes in patterns of fire frequency and intensity. Fire suppression has increased fuel loads so that when fires do occur they tend to be larger and more intense. Some stands of this alliance have burned in recent years, possibly because more intense fires are spreading into sites where smaller fires would not have carried. Stands with mature Abies bracteata tend to occur on steep, rocky slopes that are unlikely to carry fire because of topographic constraints. During favorable years, stands expand into adjacent mixed hardwood forests with deeper soils and gentler topography. These trees seldom attain maturity within the mixed hardwood forest because fire removes the fire-sensitive fir from the stand.