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BASIS OF PRESENTATION
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
BASIS OF PRESENTATION

We are a corporation that has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT). We expect to derive most of our REIT income from investments in timberlands, including the sale of standing timber. As a REIT, we generally are not subject to federal corporate level income taxes on REIT taxable income that is distributed to shareholders. We are required to pay corporate income taxes on earnings of our Taxable REIT Subsidiary (TRS), which includes our manufacturing businesses and the portion of our Timberlands and Real Estate and Energy & Natural Resources (Real Estate & ENR) segments' income included in the TRS.

Our consolidated financial statements provide an overall view of our results and financial condition. They include our accounts and the accounts of entities we control, including:
majority-owned domestic and foreign subsidiaries,
the results of Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc. (Plum Creek) for the period from February 19, 2016 (the merger date) to March 31, 2016 (see Note 3: Merger with Plum Creek), and
variable interest entities in which we are the primary beneficiary.

They do not include our intercompany transactions and accounts, which are eliminated.

We account for investments in and advances to unconsolidated equity affiliates using the equity method, with taxes provided on undistributed earnings. This means that we record earnings and accrue taxes in the period earnings are recognized by our unconsolidated equity affiliates.

Throughout these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, unless specified otherwise, references to “Weyerhaeuser,” “we,” "the company" and “our” refer to the consolidated company.

The accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods presented. Except as otherwise disclosed in these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, such adjustments are of a normal, recurring nature. The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission pertaining to interim financial statements; certain disclosures normally provided in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States have been omitted. These Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. Results of operations for interim periods should not be regarded as necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year.

RECLASSIFICATIONS

We have reclassified certain balances and results from the prior year to be consistent with our 2016 reporting. This makes year-to-year comparisons easier. Our reclassifications had no effect on consolidated net earnings or equity.

As a result of the merger, we have revised our business segments. Results for fiscal periods prior to first quarter 2016 have been revised to conform to the new segments. Note 2: Business Segments provides information about our revised business segments.

NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires an entity to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, which deferred the effective date for an additional year. In March 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-08, which does not change the core principle of the guidance; however, it does clarify the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. We plan to adopt these accounting standard updates on January 1, 2018 and may use either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. We are evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We have not yet selected a transition method nor determined the effect of the standard to our ongoing financial reporting.

In April 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-03, which amends the presentation of debt issuance costs on the consolidated balance sheet. Under the new guidance, debt issuance costs are presented as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the debt liability rather than as an asset. The new guidance is effective retrospectively for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2015. We adopted on January 1, 2016 and have reclassified balances of debt issuance costs accordingly in our consolidated balance sheet and in related disclosures for all periods presented.

In May 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-07, which clarifies the presentation within the fair value hierarchy of certain investments held within our pension plan. The new guidance is effective retrospectively for fiscal periods starting after December 15, 2015. This new guidance removes the requirement to categorize within the fair value hierarchy investments for which fair value is measured using the net asset value per share as a practical expedient and, instead, permits separate disclosure. Upon adoption these investments are presented separately from the fair value hierarchy and reconciled to total investments in our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We adopted on January 1, 2016.

In July 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-11, which simplifies the measurement of inventories valued under most methods, including our inventories valued under FIFO – the first-in, first-out – and moving average cost methods. Inventories valued under LIFO – the last-in, first-out method – are excluded. Under this new guidance, inventories valued under these methods would be valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value, with net realizable value defined as the estimated selling price less reasonable costs to sell the inventory. The new guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal periods starting after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is permitted. We expect to adopt on January 1, 2017 and are evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In September 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-16, which results in the ability to recognize, in current period earnings, any changes in provisional amounts during the measurement period after the closing of an acquisition, instead of restating prior periods for these changes. We adopted on January 1, 2016. We expect it to impact our consolidated financial statements and disclosures related to accounting for our merger with Plum Creek in future interim periods, in the event that measurement period adjustments are recorded.

In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02, which requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases and requires both capital and operating leases to be recognized on the balance sheet. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and early adoption is permitted. We expect to adopt on January 1, 2019 and are evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-09, which simplifies several aspects of accounting for share-based payment transactions, including income tax consequences, award classification, cash flows reporting, and forfeiture rate application. Specifically, the update requires all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement with a cumulative-effect adjustment to equity as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The update allows excess tax benefits to be classified along with other income tax cash flows as operating activity on the statement of cash flows. When accruing compensation cost, an entity can make an entity-wide accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards expected to vest or to account for forfeitures as they occur with a cumulative-effect adjustment to equity as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The update requires cash paid by an employer when directly withholding shares for tax-withholding purposes to be classified as a financing activity on the statement of cash flows, applied retrospectively. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. As permitted, we elected to adopt early, and applied the different aspects as prescribed by the standard effective January 1, 2016. The adoption of this guidance represents a change in accounting policy and did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Shares withheld by the employer for tax-withholding purposes for the first quarter of 2015 of $10 million were retrospectively reclassified from an operating activity to a financing activity in the statement of cash flows.