The ten FSC Principles require the forest owner or manager to do the following:

Principle 1: Compliance with laws and FSC Principles - to comply with all laws, regulations, treaties, conventions and agreements, together with all FSC Principles and Criteria.

Principle 2: Tenure and use rights and responsibilities - to define, document and legally establish long-term tenure and use rights.

Principle 3: Indigenous peoples' rights - to identify and uphold indigenous peoples' rights of ownership and use of land and resources.

Principle 4: Community relations and worker's rights - to maintain or enhance forest workers' and local communities' social and economic well-being.

Principle 5: Benefits from the forest - to maintain or enhance long term economic, social and environmental benefits from the forest.

Principle 6: Environmental impact - to maintain or restore the ecosystem, its biodiversity, resources and landscapes.

Principle 7: Management plan - to have a management plan, implemented, monitored and documented.

Principle 8: Monitoring and assessment - to demonstrate progress towards management objectives.

Principle 9: Maintenance of high conservation value forests - to maintain or enhance the attributes which define such forests.

Principle 10: Plantations - to plan and manage plantations in accordance with FSC Principles and Criteria.