This species is found on wooded slopes, ravines, floodplains, shalebanks, and cave entrances; individuals are most often in hardwood forest, sometimes in pinelands. It is generally under or in rotting logs, stumps, or leaf-litter, or under rocks, during the day. This species retreats underground during dry or freezing weather. This species is considered to be relatively resilient to disturbances, as individuals are frequently found in second-growth forests and relatively small, isolated woodlots. However, individuals are found in greatest abundance in mature hardwood forests (Green et al. 2014). Eggs are laid in rotting logs, underground, or in rock crevices, where they develop directly without a larval stage.

This species is widespread across the USA, where it occurs from northeastern Alabama, northern Georgia, and extreme southwestern North Carolina northeast along the Appalachian Mountains into southwestern Connecticut and southern New York and west into eastern Ohio, southern and western Indiana, and southern Illinois. There is also a disjunct subpopulation in southern New Hampshire. It occurs at elevations ranging from sea level to 1,500 m asl (Green et al. 2014). Several subpopulations across the eastern US that were previously assigned to this species have been reallocated to other species, including Plethodon ocmulgee, P. savannah and P. variolatus (Highton et al. 1989). Subpopulations that were previously considered to belong to P. grobmani and P. mississippi are now assigned to this species (Guyer et al. 2019, Joyce et al. 2019).

Conservation Actions In-Place
This species occurs in several protected areas. This species is listed as Threatened in Connecticut and as Protected in New Jersey, and several state and federal properties contain suitable habitats. 

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
Maintenance of mature hardwood forest habitat is key to the long-term persistence of viable populations of this species (Petranka 1998). 

Research Needed
Further research on the taxonomy of this species complex is required to clarify the biological identities of the taxa involved.