In 1993, the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) was established as an international voluntary non-profit making organisation, to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. They developed a set of 10 international principles and criteria (P&C) for responsible forest management (RFM). In many countries, these international P&C have been adapted locally and developed into National P&C. In Ireland, draft National P&C are available. For more information on Ireland's National P&C check out the Just Forests Website.

Coillte are currently undergoing an FSC re-assessment audit which is being conducted by the Soil Association.

Principle Number	Title	Description
1.	Compliance with laws and FSC Principles	Forest Management shall respect all applicable laws of the country in which they occur, and international treaties and agreements to which the country is a signatory, and comply with all FSC Principles and Criteria
2.	Tenure and use rights and responsibilities	Long-term tenure and use rights to the land and forest resources shall be clearly defined, documented and legally established
3.	Indigenous peoples rights	The legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage their lands, territories, and resources shall be recognized and respected.
4.	Community relations and workers rights	Forest management operations shall maintain or enhance the long-term social and economic well-being of forest workers and local communities
5.	Benefits from the forest	Forest management operations shall encourage the efficient use of the forest's multiple products and services to ensure economic viability and a wide range of environmental and social benefits
6.	Environmental impact	Forest management shall conserve biological diversity and its associated values, water resources, soils, and unique and fragile ecosystems and landscapes, and, by so doing, maintain the ecological functions and the integrity of the forest
7.	Management plan	A management plan, appropriate to the scale and intensity of the operations, shall be written, implemented, and kept up to date. The long term objectives of management, and the means of achieving them, shall be clearly stated
8.	Monitoring and assessment	Monitoring shall be conducted, appropriate to the scale and intensity of forest management, to assess the condition of the forest, yields of forest products, management activities and their social and environmental impacts
9.	Maintenance of high conservation value forests	Management activities in high value conservation forests shall maintain or enhance the attributes which define such forests. Decisions regarding high conservation value forests shall always be considered in the context of a precautionary approach
10.	Plantations	Plantations shall be managed in accordance with Principles and Criteria 1-9. While plantations can provide an array of social and economic benefits, and can contribute to satisfying the world's needs for forest products, they should complement the management of, reduce pressures on, and promote the restoration and conservation of natural forests