Joint Venture Investment (Notes)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

Investments in and Advance to Affiliates, Subsidiaries, Associates, and Joint Ventures [Abstract]


5.	JOINT VENTURE INVESTMENT

The Company holds a 26 percent interest in Matariki Forestry Group ("Matariki"), a joint venture ("JV") that owns or leases approximately 0.3 million acres of New Zealand timberlands. In addition to the investment, Rayonier New Zealand Limited ("RNZ"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rayonier Inc., serves as the manager of the JV forests and operates a log trading business.

Rayonier’s investment in the JV is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Income from the JV is reported in the Forest Resources segment as operating income since the Company manages the forests, and its JV interest is an extension of the Company’s operations. A portion of Rayonier’s equity method investment is recorded at historical cost which generates a difference between the book value of the Company’s investment and its proportionate share of the JV’s net assets. The difference represents the Company’s unrecognized gain from RNZ’s sale of timberlands to the JV in 2005. The deferred gain is recognized on a straight-line basis over the estimated number of years the JV expects to harvest the timberlands.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for equity method investments and joint ventures. Equity method investments are investments that give the investor the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of an investee. Joint ventures are entities owned and operated by a small group of businesses as a separate and specific business or project for the mutual benefit of the members of the group.

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