Mary Allen
Poplars are deciduous trees related to willows. They prefer to stand on river banks or in forests. However, they only grow in the northern hemisphere and where it is neither too cold nor too hot. All poplars together form a genus. It is difficult to say how many species there are. Only the black poplar, the white poplar, and the trembling poplar grow in Europe.
The branches of these poplars were repeatedly cut. They are also called columnar poplars. They often stand as an avenue on roadsides.
Poplars are often planted along roadsides as avenues. All branches are cut off every few years except for the trunk. This is how they get tall and slender. The cut doesn’t bother the poplars. However, poplars are often planted in entire fields because their wood is easy to use.
Poplar wood is light, soft, and easy to work with. It’s used for matches because it doesn’t burn as fast. It is often used in thin layers for boxes of soft cheeses. You can also glue one layer onto the other, sometimes lengthways, sometimes across: this creates light plywood. It is also popular in schools for handicrafts because it is easy to see and grind.
Poplar wood is also good for making paper. The branches and cuttings from the sawmills are good for burning as wood chips or as pellets. These are little sausages made out of sawdust.