FSC is an international association of members consisting of a diverse group of representatives from environmental and social groups, the timber trade and the forestry profession, indigenous people's organizations, responsible corporations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organizations from around the world.

FSC has a unique governance structure that is built upon the principles of participation, democracy and equity.

FSC has three levels of decision making bodies:

The General Assembly of FSC Members is the highest decision-making body in FSC and is made up of the three membership chambers: Environmental, Social and Economic, which are further split into sub-chambers North and South. The purpose of the chamber structure is to maintain the balance of voting power between different interests without having to limit the number of members.

The Board of Directors is accountable to the FSC members. It is made up of nine individuals who are elected from each of the chambers for a three-year term.

The Executive Director, with the support of a multicultural professional team at FSC IC, runs the FSC on a day-to-day basis.