Bristlecone fir is a native, evergreen, medium-sized tree.
Up to 100 percent of the total bristlecone fir seed crop is parasitized some years, but occasional large cone crops exceed the parasitization capacity of the chalcids. Bristlecone fir seedlings are sensitive to drought. Repeated desiccation and high surface temperatures were probably reponsible for the 1974 absence of bristlecone fir seed germination on chaparral, grassland, and summit sites despite the good cone crop of the previous fall. Bristlecone fir height growth is correlated with the amount of light striking the forest floor. Bristlecone fir groves are probably climax on steep slopes.