The shear strength of plantation grown Poplar （Populus euramericana cv. ‘I-214’） was tested from different growth-ring and section positions. The fractured surface due to shearing was observed by SEM to investigate the influence of sampling positions on the shear strength of Poplar logs. The results found that there was a clearly linear correlation between the shear strength and the density in Poplar. Both the growth-ring position and sheared section could influence the shear strength of Poplar. The shear strength increased along the radial direction from the inside to the outside of a log, while the shear strength in the tangential section was higher than that in the radial as well as any inclined section.