Illinois - The Timber State?

I know we think of Illinois as the Prairie State, but last week's FarmWeek News had an article entitled "Timber: An Illinois cash crop, but value could grow."  The article points out that 13.4% of the land area in Illinois is timber and much of it is privately held.  One of the points that the article makes is that timber sellers who hire a forester to help them with their sale make from 25 to 220 % more than people who do not hire a forester.  That looks like a no-brainer to me.  The article points out the decline in the number of foresters employed by the state, but it does not mention that professional foresters are available to help with management plans too.  Check with your local NRCS office for financial assistance or hire someone on your own.  A management plan can help you plan culling, planting, and pruning practices that will add value to your timber resource.  The pay-off is often long term, but it can be significant.