Google's Finland data center forest clearing: what's confirmed about the hectares, the 250,000 trees and the 'illegal' claim

Google's Finland data center sites at Muhos and Kajaani were cleared of hundreds of hectares of forest before their environmental impact assessments were finished, and on October 6, 2026, Finland's Permit and Supervision Agency (LVV) ordered the work suspended. The sites are part of a €13 billion build-out that Google says will power services including Gemini, part of the wider AI datacenter boom covered in our gigawatt tracker. Viral headlines have said Google "illegally" cut down 250,000 trees. No Finnish authority has made that finding, and the 250,000 figure is a newspaper's estimate for one site.

This story is based on LVV's October 6 and October 22 notices, Google's September 9 announcement, and reporting by Yle, Kaleva, AFP and Reuters (via Al Jazeera), Fortune and TechSpot, checked October 25, 2026.

The short version

• What's confirmed: LVV ordered Google's subsidiary, Tuike Finland Oy, to suspend environmentally significant preparatory work at Muhos and Kajaani by October 23, until EIA procedures are complete.
• How much was cleared: Yle reported 330 hectares at Muhos and just under 200 at Kajaani. LVV's notice gives no area.
• The 250,000 trees: The Guardian's estimate for Muhos, published October 22, as reported by Fortune and Tom's Guide.
• "Illegal": not established. Police have three investigation requests, one from LVV; a preliminary inquiry is due to begin the week of October 26, Kaleva reported; no charges or findings have been reported.
• Google: said it had "fallen short of our own high standards" and apologized, while saying it acted on its understanding of the law.

What did Finland's regulator order?

LVV told Tuike Finland to suspend, "immediately and no later than 23.10.2026," preparatory work that significantly changes the environment at both sites. That covers tree removal, topsoil stripping, excavation, blasting, crushing, moving earth, ditching, and building work roads and storage areas. Planning, measurements, soil surveys and minor, easily reversed work can continue. The legal basis is section 32(2) of Finland's Environmental Impact Assessment Act, and the suspension lasts until the EIA procedures for both projects are done, which LVV expects during 2026.

LVV said that, based on available reports, "extensive preparatory measures" had already been carried out, including ditch, culvert and stormwater changes. Tuike had to respond by October 14. If it doesn't comply, LVV said it could use administrative enforcement backed by conditional fines, though it prefers voluntary correction.

The order doesn't say the clearing broke the law. Its concern is that work done before an EIA "may weaken the preventive steering effect" of the assessment.

How many hectares and trees were cleared?

The numbers in circulation come from different people and cover different areas:

Last verified: October 25, 2026

9to5AI couldn't read The Guardian's investigation, so its counting method isn't known here. For scale only, 250,000 trees over Yle's 330 hectares works out to roughly 760 trees per hectare, which is 9to5AI's arithmetic and not a check on either figure.

Was the clearing illegal?

That hasn't been decided by any authority. What's on the record:

• Police: Yle, citing Iltalehti, reported on October 7 that police had started a preliminary inquiry into the Muhos work after a private individual's investigation request arrived on October 2. But on October 22, Oulu police told Yle that no preliminary inquiry had yet been started on either of the two requests it then had, and that it was still waiting for, among other things, LVV's statement. The requests go to the economic crime unit as they progress.
• LVV's request: LVV said on October 22 that it had filed its own investigation request with police about Muhos, and that it won't comment further because the matter is confidential under Finland's Act on the Openness of Government Activities. In the same notice it said the project's drainage work needs a Water Act permit, that the drainage notice, filed on September 18, "should have been made at least 60 days before" work began, that most of about 9 kilometers of planned new ditches have already been dug, and that monitoring already shows changes pointing to acidification from the area's black schist soil. It wants a more detailed water management plan, including independent water monitoring, by November 5, and said it would consider enforcement under the Water Act, backed by a conditional fine, if the measures aren't taken.
• Three requests: Kaleva reported on October 23 that police have received three investigation requests about Muhos, two from private individuals, at least one concerning the Water Act, and that the preliminary inquiry begins the following week, the week of October 26.

The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation accuses Google of clearing forest illegally. Headlines such as Al Bawaba's "Google illegally cuts down 250,000 trees" repeat that as fact; it is an accusation under review, not a finding.

What has Google said?

Google first said the clearing complied fully with Finnish laws and that the site was surveyed so high-value areas wouldn't be damaged, according to TechSpot, citing AFP. After the order, Google said it had "fallen short of our own high standards in this instance" and would comply, Yle reported on October 8. Spokesperson Sondre Ronander said Google would "study the LVV's findings and follow their guidance," according to AFP.

On October 14, Antti Järvinen, Google's country manager for Finland, said: "I am extremely sorry that we are in this situation. I want to apologise for that." He said decisions "were made based on the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time," denied negligence, and declined to say which authorities Google believes knew of its plans, Yle reported.

What is Google building in Finland?

On September 9, 2026, Google announced at least €13 billion of investment in Finland over 2027 and 2028, its largest single investment in Europe, across Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala. It said the infrastructure would power Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube, and promised to restore former forestry land next to the sites using native species. Local fights over AI data centers have played out elsewhere too, from Google's Visakhapatnam hub to San Francisco's moratorium.

Google's Finnish sites, from announcement to suspension

1. Sep 9, 2026Google announces at least €13 billion for Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and VaalaGoogleConfirmed
2. Oct 2, 2026Police receive a private investigation request about MuhosYle, citing IltalehtiReported
3. Oct 6, 2026LVV orders work suspended at Muhos and KajaaniLVVConfirmed
4. Oct 14, 2026Tuike's response due; Google's Finland head apologizesLVV; YleConfirmed
5. Oct 22, 2026LVV says it filed an investigation request with police; police say no preliminary inquiry has started yetLVV; YleConfirmed
6. Oct 22, 2026The Guardian estimates 250,000 trees cleared at MuhosFortuneReported
7. Oct 23, 2026Deadline to suspend workLVVConfirmed
8. Nov 5, 2026Water management plan due to LVVLVVExpected

• Confirmed
• Reported
• Expected

What's confirmed, reported and uncertain

• Confirmed: LVV's suspension order, its scope, legal basis and deadlines; LVV's investigation request to police, its Water Act findings and the November 5 deadline (LVV, October 22); Google's €13 billion plan and four sites.
• Reported: the 330- and roughly 200-hectare areas (Yle); the 250,000-tree and 400,000-tree estimates (The Guardian, via Fortune and Tom's Guide); the three investigation requests and the preliminary inquiry due the week of October 26 (Kaleva); Google's apology.
• Uncertain: whether any law was broken; whether police have actually begun a preliminary inquiry (Iltalehti reported one on October 7; police told Yle on October 22 none had started); how the tree counts were made; when the EIA reports will be finished and whether work can resume.