The Log Driver

A tribute to the log drivers

The Log Driver stands in Osen’s public park as a memorial to those who worked with timber and to the forest’s importance for the village. At the top of the six-metre structure, a log driver works with a log. The figure itself is three metres tall and stands on a round platform 3.5 metres in diameter.

For Ragnar, the connection to the forest is personal. Several family members worked in forestry, and his father was a forest manager. Ragnar never became a log driver himself, but remembers his father’s stories of men making their way across floating timber. The sculpture honours both their skill and their demanding, dangerous work.

A larger undertaking than planned

The request came from Osen’s village committee in 2020. They wanted a large wooden sculpture for the public park, supported by Åmot municipality, local businesses and private individuals. Ragnar accepted the commission, initially estimating around 600 hours of work.

The project grew considerably. By the time the Log Driver was finished, Ragnar had spent around 2,500 hours, and completion came three years later than planned. In his interview with Østlendingen, he admits underestimating the scale of the work. Even so, he was determined to fulfil his promise.

Built piece by piece

The figure consists of around 700 smaller pieces of tar-stained heartwood pine. Each part had to be carved by hand and fitted. The internal framework also required extensive work: it had to support the figure while giving it a natural shape.

The head and log were made at home on the farm between Osen and Slettås. The large figure needed more space, so Ragnar eventually moved the work to a heated industrial hall with a high ceiling, where he could use ladders and scaffolding. Work on the two-and-a-half-metre supporting structure was easier than carving the figure itself.

Birger Rønningen as the model

Veteran log driver Birger Rønningen (1936–2022) from Nordre Osen modelled for the figure. He began logging at just thirteen, helped with timber floating early on and became a regular log driver in 1955. He continued until the last timber floating on the Osa in 1980.

Birger did not live to see the unveiling. Yet his features and his story live on in the sculpture. For his family, the Log Driver also became a personal memorial to a husband, father and grandfather.

A great day for the village

Almost 600 people attended the unveiling on 1 May 2026. Birger’s wife Oddveig and son Eldar took part, and Ragnar was greeted with warm applause and gratitude for his efforts.

For Ragnar, the day brought both relief and joy. A long and demanding undertaking was finally complete, and the sculpture had found its place in his home village. The Log Driver connects his craft to the people and working life that have shaped Osen.