This species can be found primarily in red spruce, yellow birch or spruce-dominated forests, and has been occasionally collected in mixed deciduous hardwood forests (Brooks 1945, 1948, Clovis 1979, Green and Pauley 1987). Bryophytes and downed logs are usually common in its habitat, and individuals are found under rocks and in or under logs during the day, and sometimes among wet leaves. This species is active on the forest floor at night and may climb lower portions of tree trunks (Brooks 1945, 1948, Green and Pauley 1987). Eggs have been found in and under rotting logs, and under rocks (Brooks 1948, Green and Pauley 1987), where they develop directly without a larval stage. This species may be sensitive to habitat disturbance (Green et al. 2014).

This species can be found in the Allegheny Mountains from Cheat Mountain, north to Back Allegheny and Cabin mountains, in Grant, Tucker, Randolph, Pocahontas, and Pendleton Counties, West Virginia, USA. It occurs generally from 908–1,463 m asl (Pauley 1993), although one population extends to 730 m asl (NatureServe 2021). Much of the remaining habitat is within Monongahela National Forest (Green and Pauley 1987). Its extent of occurrence (EOO) is 4,529 km².

Conservation Actions In-Place
This majority of this species' range occurs within Monongahela National Forest, which has a management plan in place for this species (Bury et al. 1980, Green et al. 2014). Additionally, this species occurs in two national forest wilderness areas and several proposed research natural areas, and also in about 50 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service sites, however these are not well protected. 

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
Continued rigorous management of the existing parks is the best guarantee for the conservation of this species. An additional beneficial conservation measure would be the establishment of forested corridors between existing populations.

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