Thousands of black locust trees growing on about 250 acres within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will be cut down over the next several weeks.

National Park Service officials announced this week that logging is scheduled to begin Monday near the intersections of M-22 and M-109, and M-22 and Port Oneida Road.

The black locust is a non-native tree species that is aggressively replacing native beech and maple hardwood forests and sprouting in historic farm fields, officials said.

National Park Service biologist Ken Hyde explained that a few small plantings of black locust trees by former residents of what is now known as the park’s Port Oneida Rural Historic District have spread and pose a growing threat to native hardwoods.

Working with Benzie and Leelanau Conservation District foresters, National Park Service officials were brought into contact with officials of the Delta Conservation District, which had expressed a need for black locust logs. Located in Gladstone in the Upper Peninsula, the Delta Conservation District plans to use black locust logs to shore up the banks of the Ford River to preserve a historic grave site where Native American and early settlers’ graves have been lost to erosion.

“This project is a delightful collaboration between several agencies and partner groups,” Lakeshore superintendent Dusty Shultz was quoted as saying in a news release. “It not only preserves the resources of the Lakeshore, it also keeps an historic graveyard from being lost.”

Black locust logs are known for their strength and rot-resistance. Delta Conservation District officials determined that the logs would be ideal for constructing cribs needed to protect the banks of the Ford River. Black locust logs are also widely used for fence posts.

“But black locust is an invasive species in this part of the U.S.,” said Sleeping Bear Dunes natural resources head Steve Yancho. “Wherever they grow in this area, they put chemicals into the ground that inhibit the growth of native plants. At the same time, black locust enhance conditions for other invasive species. That’s why you frequently see non-native plants such as garlic mustard growing near black locust,” he explained.

Yancho noted that a federal Executive Order requires the National Park Service to control the spread of invasive species and promote the growth of native species on park service lands. Once the black locusts are removed, the project area will be restored and planted with native grasses for erosion control. Native tree saplings will be planted as necessary in 2008.

Yancho said the Delta Conservation District had contracted with a private logging firm to do most of the work at a cost of around $20,000. The Hannah Indian Community in the Upper Peninsula is also contributing to the project.

The logging firm will use specialized equipment and rubber-tracked vehicles to prevent damage to the landscape during removal of the trees, Yancho said. He added that the National Park Service may expend around $2,500 to have staff members chip and stack tree tops and branches left behind. In addition, Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, a local non-profit organization, will contribute to the project with volunteer labor.

The project “will allow us to make great progress toward controlling the spread of black locust trees and will save the Lakeshore thousands of dollars and many hours of staff time,” Shultz said.