Carl Russell operated Russell Forestry Services since 1986, specializing in ecological forestry and low-impact timber harvest with draft animals. 

Timber production, wildlife habitat, wetlands and ground water protection, recreation, aesthetics, and ecological integrity are all objectives that can be important considerations of landowners and managers. Trees not only provide the salable products that help to afford these uses, they are the major components of the forest and they define the value of the many uses of forestland.

When done correctly, timber harvest is an investment, with the cost of the operation being offset by the value of the cut timber. Using this perspective landowner objectives and ecological principles can rise in priority over purely economic decisions associated with financially motivated timber sales.

By investing in timber stand improvement and access infrastructure, landowners can reduce long-term harvesting costs while increasing future returns, which in turn augment investment in ecological and non-commercial management principles. Forestry from this perspective becomes a method of managing our interaction with a forest ecosystem that is allowed to express itself naturally, instead of a way to manipulate the components.

With higher quality growing stock and improved access, frequent light harvests can be more cost effective. This will facilitate small-scale harvesting operations, and low production systems like horse-logging. 

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