The first time he found himself surrounded by trees, with the mission of extracting wood from the heart of the forest, Euliser Cano Corrales knew he had found the right profession and that his place was there, in the quiet of the wilderness and the beauty of the landscape.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Forty-five years have passed since then, and the calendar allowed him to retire. He did so, but a few weeks later, habit and the desire to be useful prevailed, and he decided to rejoin the Las Tunas Agroforestry Company, his other home.

"I have been harvesting wood for more than four decades to fulfill the company's state mandate, and that has made me a very beloved person. Everyone in the municipalities calls me and asks me to provide them with harvesting services. That makes me proud because I like the work.

“I drive a tractor, and the main thing is to gather the logs and take them from the forest to where the trucks can pick them up. We are a team of five people, but we work closely together and support one another. I get out and help with whatever is needed.”

He assures us that this is not a boring job; on the contrary, it is. In these remote places, all you can hear are the voices of the small group, the wind, the birds singing, and the monotonous sound of chainsaws. However, the tasks are motivating, and there is always something new.

"It's nice and useful, although we have to be alert to avoid accidents. So far, I haven't had any because I always take care and pay attention to each of the processes. But one of my colleagues is currently injured because a log fell on his ankle.

“I also keep my eyes open at all times because I'm terrified of the climbing, big, green lizards, and these animals live in trees. I've had a few unpleasant encounters with them, and believe me, I've run quite a bit in those moments.”

For Euliser, family is the driving force, and the love they have for each other is worth more than treasure because they advise each other, accompany each other, and even make decisions together, such as when he was asked to move to the Guanahacabibes Peninsula to recover wood knocked down by a hurricane.

"My wife gets up at dawn to make me breakfast or prepare my lunch if I'm going to work in another municipality. She and my children understand and support me. For example, I told them that I had been asked to go to Pinal del Río. And they said, 'Go and do it.'

“At the end of the last century, after Hurricane Lili, I moved to Cumanayagua in the province of Cienfuegos, and to other municipalities. And in 2023, I went to the western tip of the island, working long hours, removing the wood that was on the ground so that losses would be minimal.”

This outstanding forestry worker from Las Tunas wants to continue in his job for a long time. As long as his health allows, he will be there, aboard his tractor, defying the climbing, big, green lizards and various obstacles —both objective and subjective—  to provide the wood needed for multiple activities.