A novel reactive ame retardant based on L-cysteines containing P, N and S ame retardant elements was synthesized and used to improve the ame resistance of a density board made of poplar wood. The outcomes demonstrated the excellent ame retardancy and catalytic carbon formation of the poplar density board treated with the ame retardant. The thermogravimetric infrared coupler (TG-FTIR) test and thermal cracking gas mass spectrometer (Py-GC-MS) test both revealed that the ame retardant modi ed the thermal decomposition pathway of the wood, forming many residues and producing only a small amount of combustible gas. The ultimate oxygen index (LOI) of poplar density board treated with 20% cysteine-based ame retardant was as high as 60.9%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the surface of the treated wood powder was rough and that the wood powder particles were interconnected by the ame retardant. This suggests that the ame-retardant molecules have a bridging effect on the inner structure of the density board. Moreover, the cone calorimetry (CONE) experiments showed that with the ame retardant treatment, there was signi cant reduction of total heat release (THR) and heat release rate (HRR) of the density board. These ndings demonstrate the effectiveness of the cysteine-based ame retardant. Highlights A novel reactive ame retardant based on L-cysteines containing P, N and S ame retardant elements was synthesized. The gases evolved during thermal degradation were analyzed by Py-GC-MS method. Incorporation of cysteine-based FR provided a intumescent char against re. Cysteine-based FR improved the ame retardancy of poplar density boards by covalent grafting onto wood bers through C(=O)-O-C and P(=O)-O-C covalent bonds.