This paper reports observations made on the life history and biology of Saperda imitans Felt & Joutel in black cherry, Prunus serotina Ehrh. S. imitans was the principle longhorned beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) reared from bolts collected from 68 wind-thrown black cherry at the Kane Experimental Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania. It was also the only species that overwintered in the sapwood/outer heartwood, and thus impacted the commercial value of these trees. Gaurotes cyanipennis (Say) was the only other cerambycid reared from caged bolts taken from wind-thrown black cherry. The cerambycids Stenocorus vittiger (Randall), Arthophylax attenuatus (Haldman), G. cyanipennis, Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus (F.), Clytus ruricola (Olivier), Cyrtophorus verrucosus (Olivier), and Astylopsis macula (Say) were captured in ethanol-baited Lindgren® funnel traps placed in wind-thrown stands, but were not reared from cherry logs. S. imitans was not caught in these traps and apparently it is not attracted to ethanol baits. Neither S. imitans nor G. cyanipennis were reared from completely uprooted trees (dead) or trees with a major portion of the root system still embedded in soil (live). Preferred hosts were black cherry with moist phloem and epicormic branches with \u3c25% live foliage (dying). The density of S. imitans galleries was similar for dying trees in each of three diameter classes; 20-30 cm, \u3e30-40 cm, \u3e40cm. Samples taken from the upper half of the first 5 m of black cherry boles had a higher density of galleries than did those from the lower half. The beetle was recovered in low numbers from branches \u3c10 cm in basal diameter. S. imitans is univoltine and in 2007 peak emergence of adults occurred from late May to early June. Results identified the condition of wind-damaged black cherry most susceptible to an infestation of S. imitans. This information can be used to establish salvage priorities following a weather event such as this
