Under the context of climate change, the relationship between high-altitude tree growth and atmospheric hydrothermal conditions became increasingly complex, while our understanding of tree growth responses to hydrothermal variations and drought adaptation strategies remained insufficient. The subalpine region of western Sichuan, as a critical component of the eastern Tibetan Plateau and a key water conservation area in the upper Yangtze and Yellow River basins, provides an ideal area for studying tree growth-climate relationships. To address this research gap, we analyzed radial growth data from Abies fargesii var. faxoniana at 6 sites in northwestern Sichuan and Abies forrestii at 4 sites in southwestern Sichuan using dendrochronological methods with 514 tree-core samples. After confirming chronology robustness based on key statistical parameters of tree-ring chronology (expressed population signal >0.85), we established correlations via Pearson analysis with climatic factors to investigate growth responses to atmospheric hydrothermal conditions, integrated SPEI with tree-growth trends to define and identify 18 past extreme drought events across these sites, and quantified tree resistance and recovery during these events to assess adaptive strategies. The results demonstrated that: From 1970 to 2010, drought intensified in the northwest (SPEI declined at 0.02/a) while A. fargesii var. faxoniana maintained stable growth rates; in contrast, moisture improved in the southwest (SPEI increased at 0.02/a) with significant growth acceleration in A. forrestii (growth rate increased by 0.03/a), suggesting long-term water balance dictates growth trends. Radial growth of both species was significantly correlated (P<0.05) with winter temperatures (October-February) and growing-season hydrothermal conditions (May-September), particularly minimum temperature and diurnal temperature range, indicating these as key limiting factors. Under stronger drought stress (mean SPEI=-1.63), A. forrestii exhibited resistance comparable to A. fargesii var. faxoniana (mean SPEI=-1.36) but significantly lower recovery (P<0.001), with only 35.8% of individuals achieving line of full resilience within 4 years versus 58.2% for A. fargesii var. faxoniana, reflecting distinct "high resistance-low recovery" and "low resistance-high recovery" strategies. The linear resistance-recovery trade-off of A. fargesii var. faxoniana (k=-0.9) approached closer to the line of full resilience than that of A. forrestii (k=-0.26), implying increased drought severity disrupts species-specific trade-off balances. Winter temperatures and growing-season hydrothermal balance jointly drove radial growth, yet extreme droughts reshaped adaptation strategies, particularly under asymmetric diurnal warming, thereby influencing long-term growth dynamics. Consequently, this comparative study on the two Abies species (A. fargesii var. faxoniana and A. forrestii) in western Sichuan provides a species-specific theoretical foundation for precision adaptive management of high-altitude forests under climate change.