Alberto Salinas: a life between wood, roads, and family pride

In the forestry world, there are stories that transcend the tasks and the routes. They are stories built on effort, perseverance, and a close relationship with the land and wood. Such is the case ofAlberto Salinas, a forestry operator whose career has been marked by work, challenges, and, above all, by his love for his family.

His connection to the countryside began at a very young age. As the eldest of his siblings, he accompanied his father in agricultural tasks, an experience that allowed him to learn early on the value of effort and teamwork.

Later, he enrolled at theEscuela Industrial de Chillán, where he trained as a mechanical technician. He practiced that trade for several years, although deep down he carried a longing from childhood: to become a truck driver.

A dream that found its way

"I always liked driving, and getting to trucks was my childhood dream," Alberto recalls.

That aspiration eventually became a fundamental part of his working life. During his first twelve years in transportation, he traveled the routes to Santiago hauling wood. Those were years of kilometers, early mornings, and long hours behind the wheel, but also of encounters with people and experiences that enriched his story.

For Alberto, driving meant more than just working. It was also a way to discover roads, share with others, and feel connected to an activity that had always attracted him.

When wood becomes a home

Alberto's relationship with wood was not limited to the workplace either. During his years transporting this material, he began to save boards and beams that he would later use to build his own house.

With patience and dedication, he gradually shaped a home built almost entirely with his own hands.

"With all that raw wood, I put everything together myself. I've always tried to make it artisanal, without iron, because I like wood," he explains.

That artisanal spirit reflects a particular way of understanding the craft: making use of resources, working with one's hands, and valuing the nobility of a material that has been present throughout a good part of his life.

Family, his greatest fortune

But if there is something Alberto truly considers valuable, it is his family.

Together with his wife, he has built a life marked by simplicity and shared work. She maintains a vegetable garden where she grows chard, parsley, mint, and other plants that are part of the household's daily life.

And after a day of work, Alberto also enjoys those small moments that take on special meaning.

"In the afternoon, I wait for her here with something special, with a nice little tea time," he says.

Their greatest pride is their three children, professionals who grew up under the values of unity, effort, and perseverance.

"We have been a very united family, always together through everything. There lies my fortune," Alberto states.

His story is, ultimately, that of a man who found a vocation in the roads, a way to build in wood, and in his family the main reason to keep moving forward. A testimony that atAcoforagwe value because it represents so many workers who, with effort and dedication, have built their lives around the forestry world.