Hi. My neighbor had 5 of my 70 year old black walnut trees cut down "by mistake". The other neighbor called me and I got home before more could be cut or any hauled away. The trees are lying on the ground. Cutter's insurance company is "sending an adjuster". I brought in a forester who estimated 3500 per tree as value and opined the trees had not been cut down properly for use. What do I need to do to (fairly) optimize the determination of my loss? what theta could have been in the future as well as my loss of scenery? There are still some still standing for comparison. Thank you.

Your consulting forester should be able to professionally appraise these black walnut trees using one of three different approaches to timber valuation: cost approach; income capitalization approach; or the sales comparison approach.

Illinois law allows for the assessment of triple stumpage damages for each illegally harvested tree. I'm not aware of Michigan's conservation laws, which is why you will need to work directly with a Michigan professional forester.