Forest Lea is a forested community west of Pembroke, historically associated with the lumber trade and agricultural development along the western fringe of Laurentian Valley. Its name, a poetic echo of the surrounding hardwoods, reflects its original identity as a dispersed rural community rather than a centralized village.

In the mid-1800s, Forest Lea formed part of the settlement fabric of Pembroke Township, with early settlers accessing the area via bush roads branching from the Bonnechere line. Farming proved difficult due to the rocky soil and dense tree cover, but lumbering, especially hardwood extraction, sustained the area well into the 20th century. A school, church, and small general store once anchored the community, but these have largely disappeared from the modern landscape.

For surveyors, Forest Lea presents a patchwork of original Crown lots, altered by both agricultural severances and more recent rural residential development. Legacy boundaries may be based on fences, road ditches, or natural features rather than precise monumentation. In some parts of Forest Lea, land grants were issued with timber reservations or mineral exclusions, requiring careful title examination. The region also includes drainage schemes from early agricultural improvement efforts, which may affect boundaries and rights-of-way.