Materials for Design

Poplar (Populus spp.)

Wood is not generally perceived as a material of mass production. Of course, it is used in all manner of high-volume products but not in the same way as moulded plastic or metal are, where identical parts come offa production line in their millions. Wood just isn’t seen as a material from which billions of identical products are produced. Ikea has wooden furniture, but the furniture is still assembled by hand. Here, however, is a wooden product that is as mass produced as a glass lightbulb and as abundant as a plastic ballpoint pen.

The matchstick, along with the toothpick, is high up in terms of stratospheric production volumes. The matchstick uses poplar’s ability to burn easily without producing toxins, and a lot of finely ...