Subalpine fir is a native, coniferous, evergreen tree.
It is the smallest of the eight species of fir native to the western United States. The typical form is found throughout much of the subalpine zone. These trees have an extremely narrow and dense crown with short branches. Trees growing in openings retain their lower branches, which often droop and extend down to the ground. Trees growing in the overstory may be clear of lower branches for 20 to 30 percent of the tree's height.