CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
CASH (USED FOR) PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES	$ 163,908	$ 143,403
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures	(40,246)	(37,211)
Real estate development costs	(4,815)	(2,029)
Purchase of timberlands	(353,828)	(88,466)
Assets purchased in business acquisition	1,113	0
Net proceeds from large disposition	126,965	0
Rayonier office building under construction	(3,933)	(369)
Change in restricted cash	22,430	(17,835)
Investment in Subsidiaries	0	0
Other	444	3,039
CASH USED FOR INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(254,096)	(142,871)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Issuance of debt	694,096	379,027
Repayment of debt	(454,419)	(300,871)
Dividends paid	(92,095)	(94,280)
Proceeds from the issuance of common shares	889	1,322
Repurchase of common shares	(690)	(73,621)
Debt issuance costs	(818)	(1,678)
Issuance of intercompany notes	0
Intercompany distributions	0	0
Other	(139)	0
CASH PROVIDED BY (USED FOR) FINANCING ACTIVITIES	146,824	(90,101)
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH	1,626	(6,234)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Change in cash and cash equivalents	58,262	(95,803)
Balance, beginning of year	51,777	161,558
Balance, end of period	110,039	65,755
Consolidating Adjustments
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
CASH (USED FOR) PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES	0	(91,228)
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures	0	0
Real estate development costs	0	0
Purchase of timberlands	0	0
Assets purchased in business acquisition	0
Net proceeds from large disposition	0
Rayonier office building under construction	0	0
Change in restricted cash	0	0
Investment in Subsidiaries	285,937	75,946
Other	0	0
CASH USED FOR INVESTING ACTIVITIES	285,937	75,946
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Issuance of debt	0	0
Repayment of debt	0	0
Dividends paid	0	0
Proceeds from the issuance of common shares	0	0
Repurchase of common shares	0	0
Debt issuance costs	0	0
Issuance of intercompany notes	0
Intercompany distributions	(285,937)	15,282
Other	0
CASH PROVIDED BY (USED FOR) FINANCING ACTIVITIES	(285,937)	15,282
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH	0	0
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Change in cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Balance, beginning of year	0	0
Balance, end of period	0	0
Rayonier Inc. (Parent Issuer)
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
CASH (USED FOR) PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(578)	77,316
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures	0	0
Real estate development costs	0	0
Purchase of timberlands	0	0
Assets purchased in business acquisition	0
Net proceeds from large disposition	0
Rayonier office building under construction	0	0
Change in restricted cash	0	0
Investment in Subsidiaries	0	0
Other	0	0
CASH USED FOR INVESTING ACTIVITIES	0	0
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Issuance of debt	0	0
Repayment of debt	0	0
Dividends paid	(92,095)	(94,280)
Proceeds from the issuance of common shares	889	1,322
Repurchase of common shares	(690)	(73,621)
Debt issuance costs	0	0
Issuance of intercompany notes	(12,000)
Intercompany distributions	162,107	0
Other	(139)
CASH PROVIDED BY (USED FOR) FINANCING ACTIVITIES	58,072	(166,579)
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH	0	0
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Change in cash and cash equivalents	57,494	(89,263)
Balance, beginning of year	2,472	102,218
Balance, end of period	59,966	12,955
Subsidiary Guarantors
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
CASH (USED FOR) PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES	26,589	92,414
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures	0	(78)
Real estate development costs	0	0
Purchase of timberlands	0	0
Assets purchased in business acquisition	0
Net proceeds from large disposition	0
Rayonier office building under construction	0	0
Change in restricted cash	0	0
Investment in Subsidiaries	(285,937)	(75,946)
Other	0	0
CASH USED FOR INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(285,937)	(76,024)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Issuance of debt	548,000	374,000
Repayment of debt	(140,000)	(294,472)
Dividends paid	0	0
Proceeds from the issuance of common shares	0	0
Repurchase of common shares	0	0
Debt issuance costs	(818)	(1,678)
Issuance of intercompany notes	0
Intercompany distributions	(155,731)	(91,585)
Other	0
CASH PROVIDED BY (USED FOR) FINANCING ACTIVITIES	251,451	(13,735)
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH	0	0
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Change in cash and cash equivalents	(7,897)	2,655
Balance, beginning of year	13,217	8,105
Balance, end of period	5,320	10,760
Non- guarantors
Statement of Cash Flows [Abstract]
CASH (USED FOR) PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES	137,897	64,901
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures	(40,246)	(37,133)
Real estate development costs	(4,815)	(2,029)
Purchase of timberlands	(353,828)	(88,466)
Assets purchased in business acquisition	1,113
Net proceeds from large disposition	126,965
Rayonier office building under construction	(3,933)	(369)
Change in restricted cash	22,430	(17,835)
Investment in Subsidiaries	0	0
Other	444	3,039
CASH USED FOR INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(254,096)	(142,793)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Issuance of debt	146,096	5,027
Repayment of debt	(314,419)	(6,399)
Dividends paid	0	0
Proceeds from the issuance of common shares	0	0
Repurchase of common shares	0	0
Debt issuance costs	0	0
Issuance of intercompany notes	12,000
Intercompany distributions	279,561	76,303
Other	0
CASH PROVIDED BY (USED FOR) FINANCING ACTIVITIES	123,238	74,931
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH	1,626	(6,234)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Change in cash and cash equivalents	8,665	(9,195)
Balance, beginning of year	36,088	51,235
Balance, end of period	$ 44,753	$ 42,040