Abies numidica grows in a high-altitude Mediterranean climate at 1,800-2,004 meters (and rarely down to 1,220 meters) with an annual precipitation of 1,500-2,000 milliliters, the great majority of which falls as winter snow; the summers are warm and very dry. It is closely related to Abies pinsapo (Spanish fir), which occurs further west in the Rif mountains of Morocco and in southern Spain.