More than 40,000 acres of the Allegheny National Forest will be considered for "wilderness" protection next month.

Congressional approval of this new act of legislation would prohibit any logging, mining and oil or gas drilling in "wilderness" areas -- areas "where earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man," according to a Pennsylvania law.

Authorization of the revised plan would mark a monumental step forward for various wilderness protection agencies, especially considering that only 9,000 of the 513,000 acres in Allegheny National Forest currently are wilderness areas, said John Griffith, campaign coordinator for Penn Environment.

"Wilderness is the big kahuna, deserving the strongest level of protection by the national government," he said.

Drilling, road construction and building of new reservoirs and power lines degrade the animal ecosystem by introducing human activity, Griffith said.

As a result, a wide variety of animal species are in danger of losing their habitats, including bobcats, fishers, brook trout and great blue herons. Under protection, these animals are safeguarded against human activity, especially rare species such as the grizzly bear and the bald eagle, Griffith said.

Moreover, Allegheny wilderness secures areas for hiking, fishing and other tourist-related activities, Griffith said.

"Forest protection is just one way to broaden and diversify the local economy through recreation," he said.

The forest sections under consideration include Allegheny Front National Recreation Area, Tracy Ridge National Recreation Area, Hickory Creek Wilderness Area, Minister Valley Roadless Area, Clarion River Roadless Area, and Tionesta Scenic and Natural Areas -- a 4,000-acre section of forest containing some of the most valuable old-growth remnants in the eastern United States, Griffith said.

Valuable areas such as Tionesta will be given the most attention and scrutiny during the revision of the forest plan, Griffith said. Formal funding for the new plan will begin in October, when a multitude of wilderness protection organizations, such as Penn Environment and Friends of Allegheny Wilderness (FAW), will review the last full-scale plans from 1986 and 1997, Kirk Johnson, a FAW spokesman, said.

Warren County Guide writer Melissa Fetterman, who has worked closely with the issue of wilderness protection in Pennsylvania, said in an e-mail, "Some could easily, and deservedly, become wilderness; others will not go without a fight from lawyers and lobbyists."

These organizations will lay out an alternative to the current plan and solicit public comment in the matter. The October meeting will mark the start of a four- to five-year revision process during which protection issues are addressed, Johnson said.

"It will take additional study before Pennsylvanians can be sure of the plan's environmental and economic impact," Fetterman said.

The final product of the extensive revision is a 10- to 15-year management document outlining the plans for protected wilderness areas.

Without adequate security against forest damage, projects like the North Country Trail, a section of forest trails ranging from New York to the Dakotas, which encompasses the Tionesta area, could not be completed. Penn Environment and FAW officials are hoping the plan will ensure that Allegheny National Forest land stays in its most undeveloped, natural state.