Espoo vs Kohtla-Järve
Tree cover and air quality for both, measured the same way: Sentinel-2 imagery at 10 m detail over a 2 km radius from each city centre, and the live US EPA air quality index. Same radius and same index, so the two numbers compare directly.
Espoo has more tree cover — 74.8% against 71.7%.
Espoo has cleaner air right now — AQI 7 against 20.
- Tree cover gap
- 3.1 points
- Espoo is ahead.
- Air quality gap
- 13 AQI
- Espoo is cleaner.
- Trees between them
- 9.7K
- Espoo has more standing.
Finland
Estonia
Tree cover
Share of the 2 km radius under canopy.
74.8%
71.7%
Air quality index
US EPA index, live, with its band. Lower is better.
7 · Good
20 · Good
Trees standing
Estimated from the measured canopy area.
235K
225K
Trees still needed
To reach the same canopy target. Fewer is better.
0
0
CO₂ absorbed each year
By the trees already standing.
5.2M kg
5.0M kg
Air quality in detail
What each city is breathing
Concentrations in µg/m³, measured at the same moment as the index above. Lower is better in every row. Espoo is read from nearby ground stations and Kohtla-Järve is modelled — worth knowing, since the two are not quite like for like.
PM2.5
Fine particles, the pollutant that usually sets the index.
1.7 µg/m³
2.3 µg/m³
PM10
Coarser particles — dust, pollen, road grit.
5.6 µg/m³
3.9 µg/m³
Nitrogen dioxide
Mostly traffic and combustion.
5.8 µg/m³
0.6 µg/m³
The last week, day by day
A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon. The week says whether it was the weather or the place.
| Day | Espoo | Kohtla-Järve |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Sept | 22 | 24 |
| 23 Sept | 20 | 25 |
| 24 Sept | 20 | 22 |
| 25 Sept | 21 | 22 |
| 26 Sept | 22 | 22 |
| 27 Sept | 28 | 28 |
| 28 Sept | 24 | 20 |
Reading these numbers
What is actually being measured
Tree cover
The share of ground under canopy inside a 2 km radius of each city centre, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It is a measurement of that circle, not of the whole municipality — which is exactly what makes the two comparable, since city boundaries are drawn to wildly different rules around the world. Espoo leads here at 74.8%.
Air quality index
The live US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations — ground stations where a city has them nearby, and a model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so this is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place: Espoo reads 7 (good) and Kohtla-Järve reads 20 (good) right now.
Frequently asked
Espoo and Kohtla-Järve, answered
Which has more trees, Espoo or Kohtla-Järve?
Espoo, with roughly 234,991 trees inside its 2 km radius against 225,252. Tree cover tells a slightly different story from raw count: Espoo has the denser canopy at 74.8%.
Which has better air quality, Espoo or Kohtla-Järve?
Espoo right now, at AQI 7 against 20 — a gap of 13 points. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day.
How many more trees does each city need?
Espoo needs about 0 more to reach its canopy target, and Kohtla-Järve about 0. The target is the same share of ground for both, so the figures are directly comparable.
Are these two measured the same way?
Yes — that is the point of the page. Identical radius, identical satellite source at 10 m detail, and the same US EPA index for air. Nothing here is adjusted for population, city limits or climate, so the numbers describe the same-sized circle of ground in each place.
Keep going
Other comparisons nearby
Build your own
Compare Espoo with somewhere else
This place
Espoo
Want a different pair? Browse comparisons or measure any address.