Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a Long Island Association luncheon with LIA President and CEO Kevin S. Law at the Crest Hollow Country Club on February 24, 2014 in Woodbury, New York. Bush is widely seen as a possible presidential contender in 2016. (Source: Andy Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is resigning from the board of timber company Rayonier Inc.

The Jacksonville-based firm said in a regulatory filing Monday that Bush would step down at the end of the year.

Bush has been a director of Rayonier since 2008. The company, set up as a real estate investment trust, owns, leases or manages about 2.6 million acres of forests in the U.S. and New Zealand, according to its website.

Bush’s move comes as he explores a presidential run and unwinds some of his business commitments. The potential Republican contender had already confirmed plans to step down from the board of Tenet Healthcare Corp. and leave his advisory role with British banking giant Barclays by Dec. 31.

Aides say Bush is reviewing all of his business and civic engagements as he considers a White House bid.

According to corporate filings, Bush sits on the boards of two other companies — Empower Software Solutions and CorMatrix Cardiovascular Inc. — and is chairman and manager of Britton Hill Holdings, a Florida-based private equity and business advisory group.

Opposition researchers in both parties have already begun sifting through his business connections seeking fodder for attack.

While some strategists have said Bush’s private-equity work could open him to some of the same criticisms that dogged the GOP’s last presidential nominee, business executive and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Bush himself has said his business record would be an asset in a campaign.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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