Abstract: The effect of habitat fragmentation on populations is a major theme in conservation biology. Small clearings in rural forests are commonly created for logging, power line construction, and various industrial activities, but it is not known how such small-scale deforestation affects the surrounding community. Our study investigated how the presence of open habitat affects the ability of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) to disperse to their home territory. Plethodon cinereus is an appropriate subject for this study because they are territorial animals with documented homing ability and documented preference for forest environments. I displaced five treatment groups: two into a power line clearing at two different distances from the forest edge, two at different distances into the adjacent intact forest, and one control group, released at the capture site. I collected data on the number of salamanders in each treatment group that returned to their home territory, and time between release and recapture. I found a significant effect of distance on return rate, but no effect of open habitat on return rate. Thus, open habitat does not seem to form a physiological barrier to salamander dispersal, at least over the scale of this experiment.