Prepared By R.R. Donnelley Financial -- Form 8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 8-K

Current Report

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): 06/02/2006

RAYONIER INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Commission File Number: 1-6780

North Carolina		13-2607329
(State or other jurisdiction of		(IRS Employer
incorporation)		Identification No.)

50 North Laura Street

Jacksonville, Florida

32202

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

904-357-9100

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[  ]   Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[  ]   Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

[  ]   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[  ]   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Information to be included in the report

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers

Lee M. Thomas, former President and Chief Operating Officer of Georgia-Pacific Corporation, was elected to Rayonier Inc.'s Board of Directors effective June 2, 2006.

Mr. Thomas is expected to be appointed to one or more Board committees upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and approval by the Board of Directors in July.

A copy of the press release announcing the election of Mr. Thomas is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Signature(s)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

		RAYONIER INC.


Date: June 05, 2006	By:	/s/ Hans E. Vanden Noort
		Hans E. Vanden Noort
		Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer

Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.		Description
EX-99.1		Press release entitled "Rayonier Names Lee M. Thomas to Board of Directors" issued June 5, 2006

EX-99.1 2 rrd120609_13938.htm PRESS RELEASE ENTITLED "RAYONIER NAMES LEE M. THOMAS TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS" ISSUED JUNE 5, 2006 board EXHIBIT 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information

Media Contact: Jay Fredericksen

904-357-9106

Investor Contact: Parag Bhansali

904-357-9155

Rayonier Names Lee M. Thomas to Board of Directors

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 5, 2006 -- Rayonier (NYSE:RYN) announced today that Lee M. Thomas, former President and Chief Operating Officer of Georgia-Pacific, has joined Rayonier's Board of Directors, effective June 2.

Thomas, 61, was President of Georgia-Pacific from 2002 until his retirement December 31, 2005. He joined that company in 1993 and held executive positions overseeing building products, consumer products, packaged products, paper and chemicals, and environmental and governmental affairs. Prior to Georgia-Pacific, Thomas was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Law Companies Environmental Group Inc. from 1989-1993 and Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from l985-1989.

Thomas serves on the boards of Airgas Inc., the Regal Entertainment Group, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and the World Resource Institute. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of the South and a M.Ed. from the University of South Carolina where he chairs the School of the Environment Advisory Board. In 2000, Thomas received the National Conference for Community Justice National Brotherhood Award.

"We are very pleased to have Lee Thomas on our board," said Lee Nutter, Chairman, President and CEO. "The insights he gained from running one of the world's largest forest products companies with $20 billion in sales, coupled with his distinguished service in the public sector, make Lee a valuable addition to our board."

About Rayonier

Rayonier has three core businesses: Timber, Real Estate and Performance Fibers. It owns, leases or manages 2.5 million acres of timberland in the U.S., New Zealand and Australia. Rayonier's ownership includes approximately 200,000 acres with residential and commercial development potential along the fast-growing Interstate 95 corridor between Savannah, Georgia, and Daytona Beach, Florida. TerraPointe is the company's Florida-based real estate development subsidiary. Rayonier is also the world's leading producer of high performance cellulose specialty products. Approximately 40 percent of the company's sales are outside the U.S. to customers in more than 50 countries.

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