The surface quality of planed and sanded plantation grown Eucalyptus exserta lumber was evaluated using a Scanning Electronic Microscope（SEM）.The observation showed: 1) for planed lumber,the most micro surface damages were due to the fibers and rays breaking and the fiber bundles being torn apart.On some surface areas,without obvious planing defects,surface tissues were crushed or collapsed;2) for sanded samples,the dominating surface damage was crushed surface tissues.