The lichen can be identified by its pale grayish-brown to reddish-brown coloring, evenly divided branching pattern, and white elongated pores on its surface.

The species belongs to section Bryoria clade 1, a group that includes several amphi-Beringian taxa endemic to East Asia and western North America.

[2] Molecular phylogenetics analysis using ITS and MCM7 gene regions shows that B. alaskana forms a strongly supported sister group with specimens tentatively identified as B. carlottae.

[2] At the time of its description, B. alaskana was known only from southeastern Alaska and the Sino-Himalayan Mountains, suggesting an amphi-Beringian distribution pattern that has been observed in other lichen genera of the family Parmeliaceae.

[2] Unlike some related species, B. alaskana lacks specialized reproductive structures like soredia (powdery propagules) or isidia (tiny outgrowths).

[2] Bryoria alaskana has a disjunct distribution pattern, being found in two widely separated regions: southeastern Alaska and the Sino-Himalayan Mountains of Asia.

This geographic pattern, known as amphi-Beringian distribution, is shared by several other lichen species in the family Parmeliaceae and is thought to reflect ancient land connections between Asia and North America during the Pleistocene period.

Its typical habitat is beach fringe forests, where it can be found growing on the branches of trees and shrubs, particularly on the Pacific crabapple (Malus fusca), Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis).