Earnings Per Common Share Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended										12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013		Mar. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Income from continuing operations	$ 8,025	$ 32,059	$ 4,024	$ 10,335	$ 32,144	$ 15,040	$ 39,631	[1]	$ 19,028		$ 54,443		$ 105,843	[1]	$ 16,774
Less: Net (loss) income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interest											(1,491)		1,902		0
Income from continuing operations attributable to Rayonier Inc.											55,934		103,941		16,774
Income from discontinued operations attributable to Rayonier Inc.	311	0	12,084	31,008	47,661	43,327	48,260		128,707	[2]	43,403		267,955	[2]	261,911
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO RAYONIER INC.	$ 8,857	$ 32,701	$ 16,353	$ 41,426	$ 79,652	$ 57,345	$ 87,164	[1]	$ 147,735	[2]	$ 99,337		$ 371,896	[1],[2]	$ 278,685
Shares used for determining basic earnings per common share											126,458,710		125,717,311		122,711,802
Dilutive effect of:
Stock options											323,125		463,949		634,218
Performance and restricted shares											149,292		158,319		757,308
Assumed conversion of Senior Exchangeable Notes											2,149,982	[3]	1,965,177	[3]	2,888,650	[3]
Assumed conversion of warrants											1,957,154	[3]	1,800,345	[3]	1,710,445	[3]
Shares used for determining diluted earnings per common share											131,038,263		130,105,101		128,702,423
Basic earnings per common share attributable to Rayonier Inc.:
Continuing Operations (in dollars per share)	$ 0.07	$ 0.26	$ 0.03	$ 0.08	$ 0.25	$ 0.11	$ 0.31		$ 0.15		$ 0.44		$ 0.83		$ 0.14
Discontinued Operations (in dollars per share)											$ 0.34		$ 2.13		$ 2.13
Net Income (in dollars per share)	$ 0.07	$ 0.26	$ 0.13	$ 0.33	$ 0.63	$ 0.45	$ 0.69		$ 1.19		$ 0.78		$ 2.96		$ 2.27
Diluted earnings per common share attributable to Rayonier Inc.:
Continuing Operations (in dollars per share)	$ 0.07	$ 0.25	$ 0.03	$ 0.08	$ 0.25	$ 0.11	$ 0.30		$ 0.15		$ 0.43		$ 0.80		$ 0.13
Discontinued Operations (in dollars per share)	$ 0.00	$ 0.00	$ 0.09	$ 0.24	$ 0.37	$ 0.33	$ 0.37		$ 0.98		$ 0.33		$ 2.06		$ 2.04
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 0.07	$ 0.25	$ 0.12	$ 0.32	$ 0.62	$ 0.44	$ 0.67		$ 1.13		$ 0.76		$ 2.86		$ 2.17

[1] Income from continuing operations, Net income and Net income attributable to Rayonier Inc., for the quarter ended June 30, 2013 and year ended December 31, 2013, included a $16 million gain related to the consolidation of the New Zealand JV.

[2] Income from discontinued operations, Net income and Net income attributable to Rayonier Inc. included a $43 million gain on the sale of Wood Products for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 and the year ended December 31, 2013.

[3] The Senior Exchangeable Notes due 2012 (the “2012 Notes”) matured in October 2012 and $41.5 million of the Senior Exchangeable Notes due 2015 (the “2015 Notes”) were redeemed by the noteholders in September and October 2013; however, no additional shares were issued due to offsetting exchangeable note hedges. Similarly, Rayonier will not issue additional shares upon future exchange or maturity of the remaining 2015 Notes due to offsetting hedges. ASC 260, Earnings Per Share requires the assumed conversion of the Notes to be included in dilutive shares if the average stock price for the period exceeds the strike prices, while the assumed conversion of the hedges is excluded since they are anti-dilutive. As such, the dilutive effect of the assumed conversion of the 2012 Notes was included for the year ended December 31, 2012. The full dilutive effect of the 2015 Notes was included for the year ended December 31, 2012, while only a proportional amount, based on the length of time the $41.5 million balance was outstanding before the exchange, was included for the year ended December 31, 2013. The year ended December 31, 2014 included the dilutive effect of the $131 million 2015 Notes, as this was the principal balance outstanding during the full year.The warrants sold in conjunction with the 2012 Notes began maturing on January 15, 2013 and matured ratably through March 27, 2013, resulting in the issuance of 2,135,221 shares. The dilutive impact of these warrants was calculated based on the length of time they were outstanding before settlement. Rayonier will distribute additional shares upon maturity of the warrants associated with the 2015 Notes if the stock price exceeds $28.12 per share. The exchange price on the warrants is lower than prior periods as it has been adjusted to reflect the spin-off of the Performance Fibers business. For further information, see Note 13 — Debt.