City report · Texas, United States
Alief Air quality today
Air quality in Alief currently reads AQI 58 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 58
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 13.0
- tree cover
- 27.5%
- trees in this area
- 85.4K
- more trees needed
- 7.8K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Alief, Houston, TX, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Oct 22, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Alief · AQI 58 (Moderate)
Alief's tree count comes to 85,443 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.43 km²) of land, 2 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 7,768 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Alief today: AQI 58, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:04 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · 3838 Wilcrest Dr, 1.6 mi (2.5 km) away · median of 8 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
13.0
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
11.8
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, Clarity, DJJ
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Alief's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 49 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 120 on Nov 5.
Where Alief stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Alief: Below target
27.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.43 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
85,443
Target trees
93,211
More trees needed
7,768
CO₂ if planted / yr
170.9 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Alief lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Alief has lost about 1,390 acres (565 hectares) of forest (about 1,100 football fields): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (97%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,390 acres (565 ha)about 1,100 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 14%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,350 acres (546 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2004, when about 154 acres (62 hectares) of forest were lost.
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 135 acres (55 ha) | under 1 ha | 137 acres (55 ha) |
| 2002 | 75 acres (30 ha) | under 1 ha | 76 acres (31 ha) |
| 2003 | 89 acres (36 ha) | under 1 ha | 90 acres (36 ha) |
| 2004 | 154 acres (62 ha) | under 1 ha | 154 acres (62 ha) |
| 2005 | 104 acres (42 ha) | under 1 ha | 105 acres (42 ha) |
| 2006 | 76 acres (31 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 82 acres (33 ha) |
| 2007 | 34 acres (14 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| 2008 | 39 acres (16 ha) | under 1 ha | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2009 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2010 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2011 | 67 acres (27 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) | 82 acres (33 ha) |
| 2012 | 77 acres (31 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 80 acres (33 ha) |
| 2013 | 80 acres (32 ha) | under 1 ha | 81 acres (33 ha) |
| 2014 | 35 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 36 acres (15 ha) |
| 2015 | 32 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 33 acres (13 ha) |
| 2016 | 50 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 52 acres (21 ha) |
| 2017 | 31 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2018 | 43 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 43 acres (17 ha) |
| 2019 | 37 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 38 acres (15 ha) |
| 2020 | 20 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2021 | 48 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 49 acres (20 ha) |
| 2022 | 23 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2023 | 34 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 34 acres (14 ha) |
| 2024 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2025 | 29 acres (12 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 36 acres (14 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Alief?
- Towns and roadscleared for good94% · 1,320 acres (533 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good2.2% · 31 acres (13 ha)
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back1.2% · 17 acres (7 ha)
Also: mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 25,800 acres (10,400 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 26,800 acres (10,900 ha)
- Overall change
- +1,020 acres (413 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Alief grew from about 25,800 acres (10,400 hectares) to 26,800 acres (10,900 hectares), a net gain of about 1,020 acres (413 hectares) (+4%). New forest grew on about 2,400 acres (972 hectares), while 1,380 acres (559 hectares) were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Alief
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Houston23.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 58
- Cypress30.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 60
- Pearland34.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 74
- Pasadena37.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 42
- League City53.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 61
- College Station124.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 63
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Frequently asked
Questions about Alief
What is the air quality (AQI) in Alief right now?
The latest reading for Alief shows an AQI of 58 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 10:04 local time by 8 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 3838 Wilcrest Dr, 1.6 mi (2.5 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Alief today?
At AQI 58 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Alief been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Alief's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 49 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 120 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Alief lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Alief has lost about 1,390 acres (565 hectares) of forest (about 1,100 football fields): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (97%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Alief grew from about 25,800 acres (10,400 hectares) to 26,800 acres (10,900 hectares), a net gain of about 1,020 acres (413 hectares) (+4%). New forest grew on about 2,400 acres (972 hectares), while 1,380 acres (559 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Alief?
Alief has an estimated 85,443 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.43 km²) of land measured — 27.5% tree cover, 2 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Alief need?
Alief needs roughly 7,768 more trees to close a 2-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 170.9 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Alief's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Alief, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Alief; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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