Greetings Tom,
You can go two different routes here:
(1) Have a professional consulting forester appraise the timber for you on a fee basis (hourly or flat rate). With the resulting appraisal, you can then market the trees on your own to IL licensed timber buyers. This approach is not as common, but some landowners are comfortable in taking this approach. If you go this route, you need to do your homework and prepare your own timber sale contract!
(2) Hire a professional consulting to serve as your agent who will not only properly mark the trees for sale, but he/she will also tally the volume and grade and associate those factors with a high/low/average stumpage value based on current market trends. The professional consulting forester will also market your trees to prospective timber buyers who are licensed to buy timber in Illinois (buyers outside Illinois still must be licensed to buy timber in Illinois). The consultant will also prepare the bid letter, mail the bid letters, and prepare a bullet-proof timber sale contract. Require your consulting forester to monitor the harvesting operation. Typical consulting forester fees for these services is 6-8% commission of the sale price.
