Google has cleared an estimated 250,000 trees from its planned data centre site in Muhos, northern Finland, before the required environmental assessment was finished.
Miranda Bryant reported the clearing from the site for the Guardian. It covers 330 hectares and sits about 400 metres from the Oulujoki river. Google also removed the topsoil, the layer of earth the forest stood on, so the ground itself has been stripped as well as the trees.
The order of events is the issue. An environmental assessment is meant to come before construction, so its findings can shape what gets built and where. Clearing first means the trees and soil are gone whatever the assessment concludes. The trees are the headline number, but the topsoil may matter more to anyone judging how reversible the work is.
Data centres are land-hungry, and the surge in AI demand has pushed large tech companies to build more of them. Nordic sites appeal for their cool climate, which helps with the cooling bills for tens of thousands of servers. A forested plot near a river is a different proposition from an industrial lot, and that is where an assessment earns its keep.
The open question is what the assessment can still decide. If it flags problems with the site, the options are narrower now than they were before the first tree came down.