CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Income and Comprehensive Income) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
SALES	$ 194,719	$ 261,550	$ 381,232	$ 396,393
Costs and Expenses
Cost of sales	143,687	138,194	280,100	246,166
Selling and general expenses	10,246	11,252	19,836	21,031
Other operating expense (income), net	(6,107)	(9,463)	(14,858)	(15,368)
Costs and Expenses, Total	147,826	139,983	285,078	251,829
OPERATING INCOME	46,893	121,567	96,154	144,564
Interest expense	(8,631)	(7,961)	(17,046)	(15,059)
Interest and miscellaneous income (expense), net	4	249	522	(1,373)
Equity in income from subsidiaries	0	0	0	0
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES	38,266	113,855	79,630	128,132
Income tax expense	(7,493)	(2,276)	(13,774)	(1,495)
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	30,773
Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	0
NET INCOME	30,773	111,579	65,856	126,637	$ 217,770
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	4,612	1,758	5,853	2,344
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	26,161	109,821	60,003	124,293
Foreign currency translation adjustment	21,484	13,219	23,916	16,023	6,322
Cash flow hedges, net of income tax	(1,988)	(12,476)	565	(26,250)	22,822
Amortization of pension and postretirement plans, net of income tax	116	632	233	1,249	$ 5,533
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	19,612	1,375	24,714	(8,978)
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME	50,385	112,954	90,570	117,659
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interest	9,595	4,410	11,247	8,153
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	40,790	108,544	79,323	109,506
Consolidating Adjustments
Income Statement [Abstract]
SALES	0	0	0	0
Costs and Expenses
Cost of sales	0	0	0	0
Selling and general expenses	0	0	0	0
Other operating expense (income), net	0	0	0	0
Costs and Expenses, Total	0	0	0	0
OPERATING INCOME	0	0	0	0
Interest expense	0	0	0	0
Interest and miscellaneous income (expense), net	0	0	0	0
Equity in income from subsidiaries	(62,535)	(230,126)	(140,057)	(264,696)
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES	(62,535)	(230,126)	(140,057)	(264,696)
Income tax expense	0	0	0	0
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	(62,535)
Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	0
NET INCOME	(62,535)	(230,126)	(140,057)	(264,696)
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	0	0	0	0
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	(62,535)	(230,126)	(140,057)	(264,696)
Foreign currency translation adjustment	(17,199)	(10,941)	(19,202)	(10,737)
Cash flow hedges, net of income tax	2,686	12,850	115	26,773
Amortization of pension and postretirement plans, net of income tax	(116)	(632)	(233)	(1,249)
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	(14,629)	1,277	(19,320)	14,787
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME	(77,164)	(228,849)	(159,377)	(249,909)
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interest	0	0	0	0
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	(77,164)	(228,849)	(159,377)	(249,909)
Rayonier Inc. (Parent Issuer)
Income Statement [Abstract]
SALES	0	0
Costs and Expenses
Cost of sales	0	0
Selling and general expenses	0	0
Other operating expense (income), net	0	0
Costs and Expenses, Total	0	0
OPERATING INCOME	0	0
Interest expense	(3,139)	(3,139)
Interest and miscellaneous income (expense), net	2,345	2,109
Equity in income from subsidiaries	26,955	110,851
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES	26,161	109,821
Income tax expense	0	0
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	26,161
Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	0
NET INCOME	26,161	109,821
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	0	0
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	26,161	109,821
Foreign currency translation adjustment	17,199	10,941
Cash flow hedges, net of income tax	(2,686)	(12,850)
Amortization of pension and postretirement plans, net of income tax	116	632
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	14,629	(1,277)
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME	40,790	108,544
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interest	0	0
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	40,790	108,544
Rayonier Inc. (Parent Issuer) | Reportable Legal Entities
Income Statement [Abstract]
SALES			0	0
Costs and Expenses
Cost of sales			0	0
Selling and general expenses			0	0
Other operating expense (income), net			0	0
Costs and Expenses, Total			0	0
OPERATING INCOME			0	0
Interest expense			(6,278)	(6,278)
Interest and miscellaneous income (expense), net			4,547	4,147
Equity in income from subsidiaries			61,734	126,424
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES			60,003	124,293
Income tax expense			0	0
NET INCOME			60,003	124,293
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest			0	0
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.			60,003	124,293
Foreign currency translation adjustment			19,202	10,737
Cash flow hedges, net of income tax			(115)	(26,773)
Amortization of pension and postretirement plans, net of income tax			233	1,249
Total other comprehensive income (loss)			19,320	(14,787)
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME			79,323	109,506
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interest			0	0
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.			79,323	109,506
Subsidiary Guarantors
Income Statement [Abstract]
SALES	0	0
Costs and Expenses
Cost of sales	0	0
Selling and general expenses	4,248	2,643
Other operating expense (income), net	20	1,343
Costs and Expenses, Total	4,268	3,986
OPERATING INCOME	(4,268)	(3,986)
Interest expense	(4,883)	(4,384)
Interest and miscellaneous income (expense), net	695	685
Equity in income from subsidiaries	35,580	119,275
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES	27,124	111,590
Income tax expense	(169)	(739)
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	26,955
Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	0
NET INCOME	26,955	110,851
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	0	0
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	26,955	110,851
Foreign currency translation adjustment	0	0
Cash flow hedges, net of income tax	(5,021)	(14,102)
Amortization of pension and postretirement plans, net of income tax	116	632
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	(4,905)	(13,470)
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME	22,050	97,381
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interest	0	0
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	22,050	97,381
Subsidiary Guarantors | Reportable Legal Entities
Income Statement [Abstract]
SALES			0	0
Costs and Expenses
Cost of sales			0	0
Selling and general expenses			7,784	5,581
Other operating expense (income), net			131	188
Costs and Expenses, Total			7,915	5,769
OPERATING INCOME			(7,915)	(5,769)
Interest expense			(9,741)	(6,528)
Interest and miscellaneous income (expense), net			1,383	1,366
Equity in income from subsidiaries			78,323	138,272
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES			62,050	127,341
Income tax expense			(316)	(917)
NET INCOME			61,734	126,424
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest			0	0
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.			61,734	126,424
Foreign currency translation adjustment			0	(4,606)
Cash flow hedges, net of income tax			(2,389)	(28,988)
Amortization of pension and postretirement plans, net of income tax			233	1,249
Total other comprehensive income (loss)			(2,156)	(32,345)
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME			59,578	94,079
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interest			0	0
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.			59,578	94,079
Non- guarantors
Income Statement [Abstract]
SALES	194,719	261,550
Costs and Expenses
Cost of sales	143,687	138,194
Selling and general expenses	5,998	8,609
Other operating expense (income), net	(6,127)	(10,806)
Costs and Expenses, Total	143,558	135,997
OPERATING INCOME	51,161	125,553
Interest expense	(609)	(438)
Interest and miscellaneous income (expense), net	(3,036)	(2,545)
Equity in income from subsidiaries	0	0
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES	47,516	122,570
Income tax expense	(7,324)	(1,537)
INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS	40,192
Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	0
NET INCOME	40,192	121,033
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	4,612	1,758
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	35,580	119,275
Foreign currency translation adjustment	21,484	13,219
Cash flow hedges, net of income tax	3,033	1,626
Amortization of pension and postretirement plans, net of income tax	0	0
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	24,517	14,845
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME	64,709	135,878
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interest	9,595	4,410
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	$ 55,114	$ 131,468
Non- guarantors | Reportable Legal Entities
Income Statement [Abstract]
SALES			381,232	396,393
Costs and Expenses
Cost of sales			280,100	246,166
Selling and general expenses			12,052	15,450
Other operating expense (income), net			(14,989)	(15,556)
Costs and Expenses, Total			277,163	246,060
OPERATING INCOME			104,069	150,333
Interest expense			(1,027)	(2,253)
Interest and miscellaneous income (expense), net			(5,408)	(6,886)
Equity in income from subsidiaries			0	0
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES			97,634	141,194
Income tax expense			(13,458)	(578)
NET INCOME			84,176	140,616
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest			5,853	2,344
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.			78,323	138,272
Foreign currency translation adjustment			23,916	20,629
Cash flow hedges, net of income tax			2,954	2,738
Amortization of pension and postretirement plans, net of income tax			0	0
Total other comprehensive income (loss)			26,870	23,367
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME			111,046	163,983
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interest			11,247	8,153
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.			$ 99,799	$ 155,830