Google felled about 400,000 trees in Finland for AI data centres before impact checks

Forest cleared before impact checks

Google's Finnish subsidiary Tuike Finland cleared forest at two sites in northern Finland to prepare for AI data centres, although the required environmental impact assessments had not been completed. The licensing and supervision authority LVV ordered all environmentally relevant work stopped at both sites on 6 October. Google told the authority on 14 October that work at both sites had been halted. At Muhos, about 330 hectares of forest were cut, and in places the topsoil was removed as well. Satellite and drone images show bare ground where dense forest stood before the clearing.

Tree losses and water concerns

Mari Annala of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation estimates that about 250,000 trees were felled at Muhos and about 150,000 at Otanmäki, near Kajaani. The combined figure of roughly 400,000 trees is the conservationists' own estimate, not an official count. Berliner Zeitung puts the combined clearing at about 530 hectares. Annala described the scene from drone footage of the former forest.

It doesn't end. It goes on and on.

Residents report brown water flowing from the site into a stream that feeds the Oulujoki River. There are indications of possible water damage, and the supervisory authority has involved the police. According to environmental organisations cited by H Kathimerini, timber from the two areas cannot be sold to wood processing plants because the logging was carried out illegally.

A 13 billion euro investment

Google announced in September that it plans to invest 13 billion euros in Finland over two years, covering data centres, energy projects and other infrastructure. The company describes it as its largest single investment in Europe. Finland now has 145 new data centres at various stages of planning, and the cool climate, land availability and geopolitical stability are cited as draws. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's government welcomed the plan and expects economic growth, jobs and additional tax revenue. Orpo has said that attracting investment is a 'top priority' for the country.

Outcry and Donald Trump's criticism

The clearings have caused widespread outcry and a national debate over the role Finland should play in the global race to build data centres for AI. Google's Finland country manager, Antti Järvinen, apologised for the forest clearings in the week of 12 October. He said the company had acted on 'the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time'. Donald Trump has criticised the project, saying he would rather the centres were built in the United States, and has publicly called on Google to reconsider.

What the sources do not settle

No official tree count has been published, and the Guardian and TVP Info both rely on the conservationists' estimates. Berliner Zeitung gives a combined area of about 530 hectares, while the Guardian and TVP Info describe the Muhos clearing alone as 330 hectares. The sources report that police were involved, but none of the articles gives the outcome of any investigation.