INCOME TAXES	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
INCOME TAXES	INCOME TAXES The operations conducted by the Company’s REIT entities are generally not subject to U.S. federal and state income tax. The New Zealand JV is subject to corporate level tax in New Zealand. Non-REIT qualifying operations are conducted by the Company’s TRS. The primary businesses performed in Rayonier’s TRS include log trading and certain real estate activities, such as the sale, entitlement and development of HBU properties. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, the Company recorded income tax expense of $7.1 million and $14.0 million, respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company recorded income tax expense of $7.5 million and $13.8 million, respectively. PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES The Company’s effective tax rate is below the 21.0% U.S. statutory rate due to tax benefits associated with being a REIT. The Company’s annualized effective tax rate (“AETR”) as of June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017 was 14.5% and 17.3%, respectively. The increase in income tax expense and the decrease in AETR for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 is principally related to the New Zealand JV. In accordance with GAAP, the Company recognizes the impact of a tax position if a position is “more-likely-than-not” to prevail. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, there were no material changes in uncertain tax positions. U.S. TAX REFORM The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) was signed into law on December 22, 2017 making significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code. Changes include a permanent reduction in the U.S. statutory corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% beginning January 1, 2018 and a one-time transition tax on the deemed repatriation of deferred foreign earnings in 2017. The SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 (“SAB 118”), which provides additional clarification regarding the application of ASC Topic 740 when registrants do not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the Act for the reporting period in which the Act was enacted. SAB 118 provides a measurement period beginning in the reporting period that includes the Act’s enactment date and ending when the registrant has obtained, prepared, and analyzed the information needed in order to complete the accounting requirements, but in no circumstances should the measurement period extend beyond one year from the enactment date. The Company has not completed its assessment of the accounting implications of the Act. However, the Company reasonably calculated an estimate of the impact of the Act in the 2017 year end income tax provision and recorded $0.1 million of additional income tax expense as of December 31, 2017. This amount was offset by the Alternative Minimum Tax credit benefit, resulting in a zero net effect to income tax expense. This provisional amount is related to the one-time transition tax on the deemed repatriation of deferred foreign earnings as of December 31, 2017. The remeasurement of certain deferred tax assets and liabilities resulting from the permanent reduction in the U.S. statutory corporate tax rate resulted in a provisional amount of zero as the change in rate was offset by a change in the valuation allowance. As the Company completes its analysis of the Act, it may make adjustments to the provisional amounts. No adjustments have been made to the provisional amounts as of the six months ended June 30, 2018. However, any subsequent adjustments to these amounts will be recorded to current tax expense in the quarter the analysis is complete. The Act subjects a U.S. shareholder to current tax on global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) earned by certain foreign subsidiaries effective January 1, 2018. For the current year, the Company’s REIT entity has a GILTI income inclusion of $1.7 million. The FASB Staff Q&A, Topic 740 No. 5, Accounting for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income, states that an entity can make an accounting policy election to either recognize deferred taxes for temporary differences expected to reverse as GILTI in future years or provide for the tax expense related to GILTI in the year the tax is incurred. Due to the Company’s REIT status and the corresponding distribution requirement, the Company has neither a deferred tax related to GILTI nor any current tax expense.

INCOME TAXES

The operations conducted by the Company’s REIT entities are generally not subject to U.S. federal and state income tax. The New Zealand JV is subject to corporate level tax in New Zealand. Non-REIT qualifying operations are conducted by the Company’s TRS. The primary businesses performed in Rayonier’s TRS include log trading and certain real estate activities, such as the sale, entitlement and development of HBU properties. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, the Company recorded income tax expense of $7.1 million and $14.0 million, respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company recorded income tax expense of $7.5 million and $13.8 million, respectively.

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

The Company’s effective tax rate is below the 21.0% U.S. statutory rate due to tax benefits associated with being a REIT. The Company’s annualized effective tax rate (“AETR”) as of June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017 was 14.5% and 17.3%, respectively. The increase in income tax expense and the decrease in AETR for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 is principally related to the New Zealand JV.

In accordance with GAAP, the Company recognizes the impact of a tax position if a position is “more-likely-than-not” to prevail. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, there were no material changes in uncertain tax positions.

U.S. TAX REFORM

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) was signed into law on December 22, 2017 making significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code. Changes include a permanent reduction in the U.S. statutory corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% beginning January 1, 2018 and a one-time transition tax on the deemed repatriation of deferred foreign earnings in 2017.

The SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 (“SAB 118”), which provides additional clarification regarding the application of ASC Topic 740 when registrants do not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the Act for the reporting period in which the Act was enacted. SAB 118 provides a measurement period beginning in the reporting period that includes the Act’s enactment date and ending when the registrant has obtained, prepared, and analyzed the information needed in order to complete the accounting requirements, but in no circumstances should the measurement period extend beyond one year from the enactment date.

The Company has not completed its assessment of the accounting implications of the Act. However, the Company reasonably calculated an estimate of the impact of the Act in the 2017 year end income tax provision and recorded $0.1 million of additional income tax expense as of December 31, 2017. This amount was offset by the Alternative Minimum Tax credit benefit, resulting in a zero net effect to income tax expense. This provisional amount is related to the one-time transition tax on the deemed repatriation of deferred foreign earnings as of December 31, 2017. The remeasurement of certain deferred tax assets and liabilities resulting from the permanent reduction in the U.S. statutory corporate tax rate resulted in a provisional amount of zero as the change in rate was offset by a change in the valuation allowance.

As the Company completes its analysis of the Act, it may make adjustments to the provisional amounts. No adjustments have been made to the provisional amounts as of the six months ended June 30, 2018. However, any subsequent adjustments to these amounts will be recorded to current tax expense in the quarter the analysis is complete.

The Act subjects a U.S. shareholder to current tax on global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) earned by certain foreign subsidiaries effective January 1, 2018. For the current year, the Company’s REIT entity has a GILTI income inclusion of $1.7 million. The FASB Staff Q&A, Topic 740 No. 5, Accounting for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income, states that an entity can make an accounting policy election to either recognize deferred taxes for temporary differences expected to reverse as GILTI in future years or provide for the tax expense related to GILTI in the year the tax is incurred. Due to the Company’s REIT status and the corresponding distribution requirement, the Company has neither a deferred tax related to GILTI nor any current tax expense.