Variable Interest Entities And Preferred Securities Of Subsidiaries (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended						3 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
	Sep. 23, 2010 acre	Oct. 31, 2007 acre	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2007	Dec. 31, 2006	Mar. 31, 2011 2001 Financing Entities [Member]	May 31, 2011 2002 Financing Entities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 2002 Financing Entities [Member]	Oct. 31, 2007 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Class B Interest In Entities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Class B Interest In Entities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Class B Interest In Entities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 Timber Notes [Member] acre	Dec. 19, 2012 Timber Notes [Member] B N P Paribas [Member]	Jun. 21, 2012 Timber Notes [Member] B N P Paribas [Member]	Dec. 31, 2001 Monetized Notes And Cash [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Preferred Securities Of Subsidiaries [Member]	Mar. 30, 2003 Preferred Securities Of Subsidiaries [Member]	Mar. 31, 2011 Preferred Securities Of Subsidiaries [Member] 2001 Financing Entities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 2001 Monetized Notes [Member]	Mar. 16, 2011 2001 Monetized Notes [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Dec. 31, 2001 2001 Monetized Notes [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 2002 Monetized Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 2002 Monetized Notes [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 2002 Monetized Notes [Member] Societe Generale SA [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 2002 Monetized Notes [Member] Barclays Private Limited Company [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Two Thousand Seven Monetized Notes [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Monetized Notes [Member] Societe Generale SA [Member]	Jan. 23, 2012 Monetized Notes [Member] Societe Generale SA [Member]	Jun. 21, 2012 Monetized Notes [Member] Barclays Private Limited Company [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Monetized Notes [Member] Llyods TSB Bank Plc [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Monetized Notes [Member] Royal Bank Of Scotland Group Plc [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Floating Rate Notes [Member]	Jan. 23, 2012 Societe Generale SA [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Nov. 29, 2011 Llyods TSB Bank Plc [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Royal Bank Of Scotland Group Plc [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Nov. 22, 2011 Royal Bank Of Scotland Group Plc [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Oct. 07, 2011 Royal Bank Of Scotland Group Plc [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Feb. 05, 2010 Royal Bank Of Scotland Group Plc [Member] Timber Notes [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Accretion Expense for Amortization of Purchase Accounting Adjustment, Financial Liabiities			$ 6,000,000
Forestlands average sales	163,000																5,600,000
Amount of consideration received												2,380,000,000	4,800,000,000
Amount of consideration received from sale of notes																									499,000,000
Contribution of Class A interests in the Borrower Entities to other newly formed entities in December 2006													200,000,000
Contribution of International Paper promissory notes to other newly formed entities													400,000,000
Interests held in entities in December 2006													5,000,000,000
Letters of credit downgrade period of replacement			60 days																												30 days
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Financial Liabilities							2,030,000,000
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Financial Liabilities						110,000,000
Long-term Debt, Fair Value			2,120,000,000
Interest, offset against related debt obligations for one of the entities														5,200,000,000		5,200,000,000
Entities acquired International Paper debt obligations for cash													4,800,000,000							1,000,000,000
International Paper debt obligations held by the Entities								5,300,000,000						5,300,000,000	5,200,000,000
Increase decrease in accounts and notes receivables			(377,000,000)	128,000,000	327,000,000																						(252,000,000)
Notes matured																											252,000,000	191,000,000
Letters of credit issued			2,380,000,000																707,000,000														506,000,000	500,000,000				666,000,000	1,200,000,000	797,000,000	842,000,000	1,600,000,000	1,400,000,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Financial Assets						2,090,000,000
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Financial Assets						292,000,000
Notes Receivable, Fair Value Disclosure			2,210,000,000
Long-term debt							2,140,000,000
Replacement fees incurred																													2,000,000	6,000,000		5,000,000			4,000,000	5,000,000
Accretion income for amortization of purchase accounting adjustment for financial assets			17,000,000
Transferred notes (the Monetized Notes) and cash to entities in exchange for preferred interests																				1,000,000,000
Purchase of preferred interest from external third party																							21,000,000
Payments of capital distribution										51,000,000
Percentage of interest in financing entities									100.00%	100.00%
Increase in notes payable and current maturities of long-term debt											158,000,000
Decrease in deferred tax liabilities due to sale of forestlands																											67,000,000
Timberland Acreage Sales		1,550,000
Long-term debt			9,696,000,000	9,189,000,000										79,000,000	92,000,000
Long term debt, current			444,000,000	719,000,000																																	158,000,000
Short-term debt			444,000,000	719,000,000										79,000,000	38,000,000
The percent of letters of credit supporting Timber Notes and Monetized Note that are cash collateralized			100.00%
Long term notes maturity term																								10 years		10
Preferred securities issued to a private investor with future dividend payments based on LIBOR in March 2003																						150,000,000
Forestlands acres held in United States initially by Southeast timber																						1,500,000
Preferred third-party interest, included in noncontrolling interest			332,000,000	340,000,000																	150,000,000
Distributions under preferred securities			$ 6,000,000	$ 5,000,000	$ 5,000,000
Number of days notice to terminate replacement waiver																		30 days