As I understand it, area goes up and down a square function of linear measurement, while acceptable wing loading goes up and down as a cube function. There is also the square-cube law. Strength is proportional to cross section. Weight is proportional to cross section times length. Suppose you have a 2 inch square stick 20 in long. It has 4 square inches cross section but weighs proportional to 80. Scale it down 1/2 to one inch square by ten inches long. Its strength is 1/4 that of the 2 inch square stick, but its weight is proportional to 10, 1/8 the weight of the larger stick.