This species is strongly associated with moist talus and rocky substrates in redwood or Douglas fir forests, including in riparian zones. It is usually found among moss-covered rocks, under associated bark and other forest litter, but usually not in seeps or other very wet areas. It is associated with older forests with closed, multi-storied canopy (composed of both conifers and hardwoods), with a cool, moist microclimate, and rocky substrates dominated by cobble-sized fragments, and these conditions may be optimal throughout most of the range (Welsh 1990, Welsh and Lind 1995). In damp coastal regions, the presence of enclosed canopy-forest may be less of a requirement as this species may be common in recently harvested forest areas with no associated older forests (Diller and Wallace 1994, Green et al. 2014). The eggs are laid in concealed terrestrial sites where they develop directly without a larval stage.

This species is known from the west side of the Coastal Range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, from around Cape Blanco south to near Arcata Bay and inland to the Siskiyou Mountains. It has also been found along the West Cow Creek in the Umpqua River watershed in Oregon (Green et al. 2014). This species occurs at elevations ranging between sea level and approximately 1,600 m asl (Ollivier and Welsh 1999). Its extent of occurrence (EOO) is 29,995 km².

Conservation Actions In-Place
This species occurs in Redwood National Park and the associated state redwood parks in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, California. It is also found in the Klamath, Shasta Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests in California, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon, BLM Arcata Field Office in California, and BLM Coos Bay, Roseburg, and Medford Districts in Oregon. Overall, 87% of recorded sites occur on Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service lands, with 13% of sites occurring on other lands. The sites can be further divided into land allocation types that signify three levels of land use intensity: resource base, moderate disturbance, and minimal disturbance. 13% of sites are considered unknown, as they do not occur on federal lands. 44% of sites occur on sites with minimal disturbance, 7% experience moderate disturbance, and 36% are in resource base land use allocations (C. Hughes pers. comm. February 2021). This species was previously afforded protection from ground-disturbing activities on federal lands under the Northwest Forest Plan, but is no longer listed as a Survey and Manage Species under this plan (Green et al. 2014). While the species no longer receives specific protections under the Survey and Manage standards and guidelines, the reserve network of the North West Forest Plan and other standards and guidelines were deemed to afford the species a reasonable assurance of persistence without listing, which is what prompted the species' removal from Survey and Manage status in 2001 (C. Hughes pers. comm. February 2021).

In an effort to prevent the introduction of Bsal into the US, an Interim Rule of the Lacey Act has been enacted that bans the importation of 201 species of salamanders (USFWS 2016). Additionally, a temporary voluntary trade moratorium of imports of Asian salamander species that are known to carry the disease until such time as effective testing and treatment regimens can be developed and distributed has been recommended to all exporters, shippers, sellers and buyers by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC). A North America Bsal Task Force has also been created, with working groups designed to address a variety of disease prevention and mitigation goals (North America Bsal Task Force 2021).

Conservation Needed
It is recommended that this species be reconsidered for protection as a Survey and Manage Species, as the population is thought to have declined as a result of timber harvest activities (Welsh and Bury 2005). Additionally, continued and strengthened management of protected area(s) where this species occurs, and expanded protection of suitable habitat elsewhere in its range is also recommended.

Research Needed
More information is needed on this species' distribution, population status, ecology, and threats.