The development of the forester's leadership role in forest land management is compared to rising profile of land between a sea or lake shoreline and a range of mountains, the progression is upward but the rate of climb changes. No plateau is identified. Reference is made to forestry leadership in several fields of forest land management; administration, land use, planning, research, forest management, recreational land use and fish and wildlife management. It is noted that forest land management includes activities for which foresters were not academically trained and reference is made to the fact that non-foresters, e.g. biologists and geographers are giving leadership in forest land management and thus providing beneficial competition and stimulation. The most important leadership role in the future may relate to regional planning. The forestry profession is cautioned not to abdicate this field to those in other disciplines.
