# Google’s unlawful tree clearances in Finland spark public anger

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/pure-arrogance-anger-in-finland-as-google-illegally-fells-250000-trees-for-datacentre/
- Published: 2026-10-22T11:22:23+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T11:47:21+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/oct/22/finland-google-felling-trees-datacentre
- Topics: Art, Business, Companies, Culture, Technology

## Key points

- Google felled an estimated 400,000 trees across two Finnish sites.
- Authorities ordered work to stop after environmental assessments were missed.
- More than 93,000 people signed a petition for tighter rules.

## Summary

Google cleared an estimated 250,000 trees near Muhos in northern Finland to prepare a datacentre site without completing required environmental impact assessments. Authorities have ordered work to stop at the Muhos site and another in Otanmäki, prompting public concern about environmental damage and the rapid expansion of datacentres.

The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation estimates a further 150,000 trees were felled at Otanmäki, about 100km away; the wood from both sites cannot be sold because the clearances were illegal. The two sites form part of Google’s €13bn AI infrastructure project, the largest of its kind in Finland. More than 93,000 people have signed a petition calling for tighter regulation and compensation for affected communities, and datacentre policy may become an issue in April’s election.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.