RAYONIER INC

9. CONTINGENCIES

We have been named as a defendant in various lawsuits and claims arising in the normal course of business. While we have procured reasonable and customary insurance covering risks normally occurring in connection with our businesses, we have in certain cases retained some risk through the operation of large deductible insurance plans, primarily in the areas of executive risk, property, automobile and general liability. These pending lawsuits and claims, either individually or in the aggregate, are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flow.

10. ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE LIABILITIES

Various federal and state environmental laws in the states in which we operate place cleanup or restoration liability on the current and former owners of affected real estate. These laws are often a source of “strict liability,” meaning that an owner or operator need not necessarily have caused, or even been aware of, the release of contaminated materials. Similarly, there are certain environmental laws that allow state, federal, and tribal trustees (collectively, the “Trustees”) to bring suit against property owners to recover damage for injuries to natural resources. Like the liability that attaches to current property owners in the cleanup context, liability for natural resource damages (“NRD”) can attach to a property simply because an injury to natural resources resulted from releases of contaminated materials on or from the owner’s property, regardless of culpability for the release.

Changes inenvironmental and NRD liabilities from December 31, 2023 to September 30, 2024 are shown below:

(a)The increase in liabilities reflects revised environmental and NRD cost estimates recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

It is expected that the upland mill site cleanup and NRD restoration will occur over the nextone totwo years, while the monitoring of Port Gamble Bay, mill site, and landfills will continue for an additional 15 to 20 years. NRD costs are subject to change as the restoration projects progress. It is reasonably possible that these components of the liability may increase as construction continues. Management continues to monitor the Port Gamble cleanup process and will make adjustments as needed. Should any future circumstances result in a change to the estimated cost of the project, we will record an appropriate adjustment to the liability in the period it becomes known and when we can reasonably estimate the amount.

We do not currently anticipate any material loss in excess of the amounts accrued; however, we are not able to estimate a possible loss or range of loss, if any, in excess of the established liabilities. Our future remediation expenses may be affected by a number of uncertainties including, but not limited to, the difficulty in estimating the extent and method of remediation, the evolving nature of environmental regulations, and the availability and application of technology. We do not expect the resolution of such uncertainties to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or liquidity.

11. GUARANTEES

We provide financial guarantees as required by creditors, insurance programs, and various governmental agencies.

As of September 30, 2024, the following financial guarantees were outstanding:

(a)We have not recorded any liabilities for these financial commitments in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The guarantees are not subject to measurement as the guarantees are dependent on our own performance.

(b)Approximately $6.3 million of the standby letters of credit serve as credit support for real estate construction in our Wildlight development project. The remaining letters of credit support various insurance related agreements. These letters of credit will expire at various dates during 2024 and will be renewed as required.

(c)Surety bonds are issued primarily to secure performance obligations related to various operational activities and to provide collateral for our Wildlight development project in Nassau County, Florida and our Heartwood development project in Richmond Hill, Georgia. These surety bonds expire at various dates during 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027 and are expected to be renewed as required.

12. HIGHER AND BETTER USE TIMBERLANDS AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENTS

We routinely assess potential alternative uses of our timberlands, as some properties may become more valuable for development, residential, recreation or other purposes. We periodically transfer, via a sale or contribution from the real estate investment trust (“REIT”) entities to taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”), higher and better use (“HBU”) timberlands to enable land-use entitlement, development or marketing activities. We also acquire HBU properties in connection with timberland acquisitions. These properties are managed as timberlands until sold or developed. While the majority of HBU sales involve rural and recreational land, we also selectively pursue various land-use entitlements on certain properties for residential, commercial and industrial development in order to enhance the long-term value of such properties. For selected development properties, we also invest in targeted infrastructure improvements, such as roadways and utilities, to accelerate the marketability and improve the value of such properties.

Changes in higher and better use timberlands and real estate development investments from December 31, 2023 to September 30, 2024 are shown below:

(a)The current portion of Higher and Better Use Timberlands and Real Estate Development Investments is recorded in Inventory. See Note 13 — Inventory for additional information.

(b)Capitalized real estate development investments include $1.0 million of capitalized interest and $7.8 million of parcel real estate development investments. Parcel real estate development investments represent investments made for specific lots and/or commercial parcels that are currently under contract or expected to be ready for market within one year.