Upper montane forest

[1] Stands may have a shade intolerant ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) overstory, and a shade tolerant Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) or white fir (Abies concolor) understory.

[2] It occurs between 6,500 and 8,000 feet (2,000 and 2,400 m), consists of dense stands of red fir (Abies magnifica), and has little understory and few animals.

[2] Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) occurs in areas of thin soils.

Precipitation in areas of upper montane forest vegetation type is 35 to 65 feet (11 to 20 m), mostly as snowfall.

[3] Overstory trees are typically cone shaped to shed the snow, with characteristic trees including lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), western white pine (Pinus monticola) California red fir (Abies magnifica), and Sierra juniper (Juniperus grandis), and typical understory trees and shrubs such as huckleberry oak (Quercus vaccinifolia) and red heather (Phyllodoce breweri).