Variable Interest Entities And Preferred Securities Of Subsidiaries (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			0 Months Ended				1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended				3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2007	Oct. 31, 2007	Mar. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011	Mar. 16, 2011 2001 Financing Entities [Member]	May 31, 2011 2002 Financing Entities [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 2002 Financing Entities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 2002 Financing Entities [Member]	Oct. 31, 2007 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Class B Interests In Entities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Class B Interests In Entities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Class B Interests In Entities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2006 Timber Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2001 Monetized Notes And Cash [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Preferred Securities Of Subsidiaries [Member]	Mar. 31, 2003 Preferred Securities Of Subsidiaries [Member]	Mar. 31, 2011 Preferred Securities Of Subsidiaries [Member] 2001 Financing Entities [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 2001 Monetized Notes [Member]	Mar. 16, 2011 2001 Monetized Notes [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 2002 Monetized Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 2002 Monetized Notes [Member]	Jan. 23, 2012 Societe Generale SA [Member]	Feb. 13, 2012 Societe Generale SA [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Societe Generale SA [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Jan. 23, 2012 Societe Generale SA [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Llyods TSB Bank Plc [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Nov. 29, 2011 Llyods TSB Bank Plc [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Jan. 10, 2012 Royal Bank Of Scotland Group Plc [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Royal Bank Of Scotland Group Plc [Member] Timber Notes [Member]	Feb. 10, 2012 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]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Forestlands acreage sales															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	within 30 days		within 60 days
Fees paid																								2,000,000		5,000,000		4,000,000		2,000,000	3,000,000
Interest, offset against related debt obligations of the entities												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			11,600,000,000								5,200,000,000	5,200,000,000	5,200,000,000
Long-term notes, maturity term																				10 years
Increase (decrease) in accounts and notes receivables																						111,000,000
Outstanding debt								48,000,000	158,000,000
Notes matured																						111,000,000
Long-term notes, maturity date																				Mar. 16, 2011
Letters of credit issued		2,380,000,000	2,380,000,000																						506,000,000		666,000,000		1,200,000,000		797,000,000	135,000,000	707,000,000	1,600,000,000
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%
Decrease in notes payable and current maturities of long-term debt due to purchase of preferred interest																						111,000,000
Decrease in deferred tax liabilities due to sale of forestlands																							30,000,000
Long-term debt	2,140,000,000		10,905,000,000		9,189,000,000							99,000,000	92,000,000
Notes payable and current maturities			738,000,000		719,000,000							38,000,000	38,000,000
Accounts and notes receivable, net																						141,000,000
The percent of letters of credit supporting Timber Notes and Monetized Note that are cash collateralized			100.00%
Forestlands acres held in United States initially by Southeast timber		1,550,000
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			432,000,000		340,000,000												150,000,000
Distributions under preferred securities			$ 1,000,000	$ 1,000,000