Ponderosa pine ecosystem restoration in Fort Valley (located east of Flagstaff, Arizona) has been proposed as a method of restoring ecosystem health and lowering the risk of catastrophic wildfire in Flagstaff's wildland-urban interface. Three methods of harvest are being used to carry out restoration treatments: hand harvesting, cut-to-length harvesting, and whole-tree mechanized harvesting. This paper presents a theoretical application of a cost / effectiveness analysis to aid in recommendation of an optimum method of harvest for restoration treatments. Harvest methods can be compared on the basis of ratios of harvest cost / effectiveness. Effectiveness in this approach is defined as a harvest method's ability to carry out restoration treatment with the least negative impact on residual stand damage, soil impacts, and fuel loading.