City report · New York, United States
Amherst Air quality today
Air quality in Amherst currently reads AQI 60 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 60
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 14.1
- tree cover
- 38.8%
- trees in this area
- 122K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Eggertsville, NY 14226, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Amherst · AQI 60 (Moderate)
Amherst's tree count comes to 121,894 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Amherst today: AQI 60, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Buffalo, 7.0 mi (11.2 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
14.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
11.8
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirNow
- 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 Amherst's daily AQI at 19 on average, from 12 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 47 on Nov 8.
Where Amherst stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Amherst: Healthy tree cover
38.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
121,894
Target trees
121,894
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Amherst lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Amherst has lost about 556 acres (225 hectares) of forest (about 420 football fields): 3.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 556 acres (225 ha)about 420 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 3.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 524 acres (212 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2007, when about 65 acres (26 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 | 50 acres (20 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 53 acres (21 ha) |
| 2002 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2004 | 47 acres (19 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| 2005 | 27 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 28 acres (12 ha) |
| 2006 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2007 | 59 acres (24 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 65 acres (26 ha) |
| 2008 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2009 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 19 acres (8 ha) |
| 2010 | 16 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (7 ha) |
| 2011 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2012 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2013 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2016 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2017 | 17 acres (7 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2018 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2019 | 48 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 48 acres (20 ha) |
| 2020 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2021 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2022 | 48 acres (19 ha) | under 1 ha | 49 acres (20 ha) |
| 2023 | 26 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| 2024 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2025 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Amherst?
- Towns and roadscleared for good84% · 470 acres (190 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good10% · 55 acres (22 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown5.9% · 33 acres (13 ha)
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
- 31,100 acres (12,600 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 31,600 acres (12,800 ha)
- Overall change
- +536 acres (217 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Amherst stayed about the same size, at about 31,600 acres (12,800 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,350 acres (546 hectares), and about 813 acres (329 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 Amherst
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Buffalo12.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 60
- St. Catharines41.9 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 33
- Toronto88.6 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 60
- Oakville88.7 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 29
- Hamilton90.4 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 50
- Burlington95.5 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 44
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Frequently asked
Questions about Amherst
What is the air quality (AQI) in Amherst right now?
The latest reading for Amherst shows an AQI of 60 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Buffalo, 7.0 mi (11.2 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Amherst today?
At AQI 60 (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 Amherst been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Amherst's daily AQI at 19 on average, from 12 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 47 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Amherst lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Amherst has lost about 556 acres (225 hectares) of forest (about 420 football fields): 3.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Amherst stayed about the same size, at about 31,600 acres (12,800 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,350 acres (546 hectares), and about 813 acres (329 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Amherst?
Amherst has an estimated 121,894 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 38.8% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Amherst need?
Amherst has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Amherst's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Eggertsville, 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 Eggertsville; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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