Google illegally demolished an estimated 250,000 trees in Finland to make way for a data center expansion, according to a report from The Guardian. The company cleared 816 acres of woodlands in Northern Finland near the rural town of Muhos, southeast of Oulu, before obtaining full regulatory approval.
Finnish law requires companies to complete a mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment before large-scale operations. Google is accused of removing trees and clearing land in violation of this requirement. The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Agency suspended all development at two of Google’s data center sites and gave the company a deadline of October 23 to halt operations.
The clearing destroyed habitat and wildlife in the forest. According to resident Anni Ranta, wolves began appearing in the nearby village of Otanmäki, 50 miles from the site, as they searched for food after the forest was cleared. “We had wolves coming into the village because all the wild animals moved out of the forest,” Ranta told the Guardian.
Local residents expressed frustration with the project. Muhos resident Antti Jakonen told the outlet: “It has been done in the wrong way. American style. No sense. No sense at all.” He called on Google to help restore the local salmon population that had been destroyed by previous hydropower projects.
The environmental damage extended to water sources. The removal of trees caused water near the site to turn brown and pollute streams feeding the Oulujoki River.
Google’s Finnish chief Antti Järvinen claimed the company believed it had legislative approval to commence the tree cutting. However, the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation chair Hanna Halmeenpää characterized the explanation as “pure arrogance.” Opponents believe Google rushed construction before Finland could implement AI-related regulations.
Järvinen apologized for the destruction and said Google would work to protect water sources before replanting trees around 321 of the cleared acres. The two data center sites near Muhos and Kajaani are part of Google’s $15 billion investment in AI infrastructure in the Nordic country, announced in September.
Key facts
- Google cleared 816 acres of forest in Northern Finland without completing a mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment
- The tree removal forced wolves to search for food in nearby villages, including Otanmäki
- Finnish authorities suspended development at two Google data center sites and set an October 23 deadline to halt operations
- The cleared land caused water sources to turn brown and pollute streams feeding the Oulujoki River
- Google’s $15 billion AI infrastructure investment in Finland includes these two data center sites