Google illegally fells 250,000 trees in Finland for datacenter
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The gist
Google cleared an estimated 250,000 trees in northern Finland for AI data centers without full environmental approval.
Finland's regulator has ordered a halt, and a petition has forced a parliamentary debate.
Background
Google is the tech company building AI data centers in Muhos and Otanmäki, near Kajaani, in northern Finland, as part of a €13 billion ($14.5 billion) infrastructure project. Finnish law requires a mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment before large-scale operations, and Finland's Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) says that step was not completed before land was cleared. Finland has become a top location for tech data centers — 145 are planned or under construction — largely because its cool climate cuts energy costs.
How it unfolded
- Nov 28, 2024Finland's government granted state land manager Metsähallitus permission to sell land in Muhos and Kajaani to Google.
- Oct 6, 2026The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) ordered Google to temporarily halt data center work over the environmental impact assessment.
- Oct 22, 2026The Guardian reported Google illegally felled an estimated 250,000 trees across about 330 hectares in Muhos, plus an estimated 150,000 trees at its proposed Otanmäki site near Kajaani.
- Oct 22, 2026A petition calling for more regulation of data centers in Finland passed 96,400 signatures, nearly twice the number needed to force Parliament to take it up for debate.
- Oct 23, 2026LVV set a deadline for Google to halt construction at two sites, Muonio and Otanmäki, and cease activities significantly altering the environment; non-compliance could bring enforcement proceedings and fines.
- Oct 24, 2026Reports said Google cleared about 816 acres of forest in northern Finland without full environmental approval, cutting roughly 250,000 trees.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Google's Finland country manager Antti Järvinen said the company acted "on the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time," and a Google representative in Finland issued an apology for the cleanup.
- Regulator
- LVV ordered Google to suspend measures that significantly change the environment and set an October 23 deadline, warning of enforcement proceedings and fines for non-compliance.
- Public
- Otanmäki resident Anni Ranta said wolves came into the village because wild animals moved out of the forest, and a Muhos resident said the work was done "in the wrong way. American style. No sense."
- Government
- Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called attracting investment a "top priority" and said the value of the data economy extends far beyond direct investment, promising lasting benefits for both parties.
Still unverified
Tree and area figures are estimates that differ by source: The Guardian reported about 250,000 trees felled in Muhos, while environmental groups estimate 400,000 trees were illegally felled in total, including 150,000 in Otanmäki; cleared area is given variously as 816 acres, 815 acres and about 330 hectares.