Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 51,777	$ 161,558	$ 199,644	$ 280,596
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	20,222	24,018
Inventory	15,351	8,383
Prepaid logging roads	10,563	12,665
Prepaid expenses	2,091	5,049
Other current assets	5,681	2,031
Total current assets	105,685	213,704
TIMBER AND TIMBERLANDS, NET OF DEPLETION AND AMORTIZATION	2,066,780	2,088,501
HIGHER AND BETTER USE TIMBERLANDS AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENTS (NOTE 6)	65,450	77,433
NET PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT	6,742	6,706
INVESTMENT IN SUBSIDIARIES	0	0
INTERCOMPANY NOTES RECEIVABLE	0	0
OTHER ASSETS (Note 19)	74,606	66,771
TOTAL ASSETS	2,319,263	2,453,115
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable	21,479	20,211
Current maturities of long-term debt	0	129,706
Accrued taxes	3,685	11,405
Accrued payroll and benefits	7,037	6,390
Accrued interest	6,153	8,433
Other current liabilities	21,103	25,857
Total current liabilities	59,457	202,002
LONG-TERM DEBT	833,879	621,849
PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS	34,137	33,477
OTHER NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES	30,050	20,636
INTERCOMPANY PAYABLE	0	0
TOTAL RAYONIER INC. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	1,288,084	1,488,470
Noncontrolling interest	73,656	86,681
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	1,361,740	1,575,151	1,755,243	1,438,004
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	2,319,263	2,453,115
Rayonier Inc.(Parent Issuer)
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	2,472	102,218	130,181	252,888
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	0	0
Inventory	0	0
Prepaid logging roads	0	0
Prepaid expenses	0	0
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	2,472	102,218
TIMBER AND TIMBERLANDS, NET OF DEPLETION AND AMORTIZATION	0	0
HIGHER AND BETTER USE TIMBERLANDS AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENTS (NOTE 6)	0	0
NET PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT	0	0
INVESTMENT IN SUBSIDIARIES	1,321,681	1,463,303
INTERCOMPANY NOTES RECEIVABLE	34,567	248,233
OTHER ASSETS (Note 19)	2,305	2,763
TOTAL ASSETS	1,361,025	1,816,517
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable	609	0
Current maturities of long-term debt		0
Accrued taxes	0	0
Accrued payroll and benefits	0	0
Accrued interest	3,047	3,047
Other current liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	3,656	3,047
LONG-TERM DEBT	325,000	325,000
PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS	0	0
OTHER NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES	0	0
INTERCOMPANY PAYABLE	(255,715)	0
TOTAL RAYONIER INC. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	1,288,084	1,488,470
Noncontrolling interest	0	0
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	1,288,084	1,488,470
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	1,361,025	1,816,517
Senior Notes due 2022 at a fixed interest rate of 3.75% | Consolidating Adjustments
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	0	0
Inventory	0	0
Prepaid logging roads	0	0
Prepaid expenses	0	0
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	0	0
TIMBER AND TIMBERLANDS, NET OF DEPLETION AND AMORTIZATION	0	0
HIGHER AND BETTER USE TIMBERLANDS AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENTS (NOTE 6)	0	0
NET PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT	0	0
INVESTMENT IN SUBSIDIARIES	(3,534,086)	(3,517,214)
INTERCOMPANY NOTES RECEIVABLE	0	(269,733)
OTHER ASSETS (Note 19)	0	0
TOTAL ASSETS	(3,534,086)	(3,786,947)
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable	0	0
Current maturities of long-term debt		0
Accrued taxes	0	0
Accrued payroll and benefits	0	0
Accrued interest	0	(28,412)
Other current liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	0	(28,412)
LONG-TERM DEBT	0	0
PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS	0	0
OTHER NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES	0	0
INTERCOMPANY PAYABLE	0	(277,712)
TOTAL RAYONIER INC. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	(3,534,086)	(3,480,823)
Noncontrolling interest	0	0
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	(3,534,086)	(3,480,823)
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	(3,534,086)	(3,786,947)
Senior Notes due 2022 at a fixed interest rate of 3.75% | Subsidiary Guarantors
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	13,217	8,105	11,023	23,324
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	1,870	1,409
Inventory	0	0
Prepaid logging roads	0	0
Prepaid expenses	443	1,926
Other current assets	4,876	83
Total current assets	20,406	11,523
TIMBER AND TIMBERLANDS, NET OF DEPLETION AND AMORTIZATION	0	0
HIGHER AND BETTER USE TIMBERLANDS AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENTS (NOTE 6)	0	0
NET PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT	330	433
INVESTMENT IN SUBSIDIARIES	2,212,405	2,053,911
INTERCOMPANY NOTES RECEIVABLE	(610,450)	21,500
OTHER ASSETS (Note 19)	19,741	18,369
TOTAL ASSETS	1,642,432	2,105,736
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable	1,463	2,810
Current maturities of long-term debt		129,706
Accrued taxes	(10)	11
Accrued payroll and benefits	3,594	3,253
Accrued interest	666	2,517
Other current liabilities	262	1,073
Total current liabilities	5,975	139,370
LONG-TERM DEBT	282,000	31,000
PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS	34,822	34,161
OTHER NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES	16,914	6,436
INTERCOMPANY PAYABLE	(18,960)	431,466
TOTAL RAYONIER INC. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	1,321,681	1,463,303
Noncontrolling interest	0	0
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	1,321,681	1,463,303
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	1,642,432	2,105,736
Senior Notes due 2022 at a fixed interest rate of 3.75% | Non- guarantors
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	36,088	51,235	$ 58,440	$ 4,384
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	18,352	22,609
Inventory	15,351	8,383
Prepaid logging roads	10,563	12,665
Prepaid expenses	1,648	3,123
Other current assets	805	1,948
Total current assets	82,807	99,963
TIMBER AND TIMBERLANDS, NET OF DEPLETION AND AMORTIZATION	2,066,780	2,088,501
HIGHER AND BETTER USE TIMBERLANDS AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENTS (NOTE 6)	65,450	77,433
NET PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT	6,412	6,273
INVESTMENT IN SUBSIDIARIES	0	0
INTERCOMPANY NOTES RECEIVABLE	575,883	0
OTHER ASSETS (Note 19)	52,560	45,639
TOTAL ASSETS	2,849,892	2,317,809
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable	19,407	17,401
Current maturities of long-term debt		0
Accrued taxes	3,695	11,394
Accrued payroll and benefits	3,443	3,137
Accrued interest	2,440	31,281
Other current liabilities	20,841	24,784
Total current liabilities	49,826	87,997
LONG-TERM DEBT	226,879	265,849
PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS	(685)	(684)
OTHER NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES	13,136	14,200
INTERCOMPANY PAYABLE	274,675	(153,754)
TOTAL RAYONIER INC. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	2,212,405	2,017,520
Noncontrolling interest	73,656	86,681
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	2,286,061	2,104,201
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	$ 2,849,892	$ 2,317,809