By STEPHEN IGO
Kingsport Times-News

NORTON - George Washington and Thomas Jefferson emerged from the thickets of history in Norton on Monday, but their backdrop was still a good two centuries older than two of the nation's founding fathers.

Forest activists protesting the Bush administration's national forest policies brought their Ancient Forest Roadshow to Southwest Virginia at the invitation of Virginia Forest Watch and the Clinch Coalition.

Performers portrayed Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson bemoaning what they call the modern-day pillaging of the nation's forests.

"The Doug" portrayed itself.

"The Doug" is a slice of a 420-year-old Douglas fir logged from the Willamette National Forest in southern Oregon. Six feet 6 inches across and standing on edge in an iron brace, it is hauled on a trailer behind a van.

"The Doug" left Seattle two months ago, was in Nashville a week ago, and will eventually make it to Washington, D.C.

The immense slice of tree is used by activists in their public education campaign in opposition to logging in old-growth forests.

In period costume, George Washington was portrayed by Danny Dolinger of Mouth of Wilson, Va., and Christina Wulf performed the part of Jefferson. Together they staged a dialogue of the two historic figures decrying modern-day tyranny posed by politicians working in concert with multinational corporate resource extraction interests to plunder the forests.

Demis Foster, project director of the Ancient Forest Roadshow, said an even bigger slice of "The Doug" is making the rounds of the Northern tier of states, with the intent to appear in all 50 states. Foster is a native of Idaho who now lives in Seattle.