City report · Louisiana, United States
Baton Rouge Air quality today
Air quality in Baton Rouge currently reads AQI 85 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 85
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 27.5
- tree cover
- 34.9%
- trees in this area
- 85.5K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Baton Rouge, LA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 6, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Baton Rouge · AQI 85 (Moderate)
Baton Rouge's tree count comes to 85,520 trees across 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Baton Rouge today: AQI 85, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Capitol, 1.4 mi (2.3 km) away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
27.5
PM10
44.0
NO₂
28.9
O₃
49.1
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 Baton Rouge's daily AQI at 41 on average, from 31 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 9.
Where Baton Rouge stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Baton Rouge: Healthy tree cover
34.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
85,520
Target trees
85,520
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Baton Rouge lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Baton Rouge has lost about 2,670 acres (1,080 hectares) of forest (about 2,000 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,670 acres (1,080 ha)about 2,000 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,010 acres (813 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 450 acres (182 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 | 116 acres (47 ha) | under 1 ha | 117 acres (47 ha) |
| 2002 | 97 acres (39 ha) | 45 acres (18 ha) | 142 acres (58 ha) |
| 2003 | 84 acres (34 ha) | 21 acres (9 ha) | 105 acres (43 ha) |
| 2004 | 118 acres (48 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 123 acres (50 ha) |
| 2005 | 110 acres (45 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 114 acres (46 ha) |
| 2006 | 78 acres (32 ha) | 9 acres (4 ha) | 88 acres (35 ha) |
| 2007 | 170 acres (69 ha) | 28 acres (11 ha) | 198 acres (80 ha) |
| 2008 | 169 acres (68 ha) | 281 acres (114 ha) | 450 acres (182 ha) |
| 2009 | 99 acres (40 ha) | 31 acres (12 ha) | 129 acres (52 ha) |
| 2010 | 67 acres (27 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 75 acres (30 ha) |
| 2011 | 74 acres (30 ha) | 18 acres (7 ha) | 92 acres (37 ha) |
| 2012 | 72 acres (29 ha) | 17 acres (7 ha) | 89 acres (36 ha) |
| 2013 | 67 acres (27 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 73 acres (30 ha) |
| 2014 | 71 acres (29 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 76 acres (31 ha) |
| 2015 | 103 acres (42 ha) | 20 acres (8 ha) | 122 acres (50 ha) |
| 2016 | 79 acres (32 ha) | under 1 ha | 80 acres (32 ha) |
| 2017 | 34 acres (14 ha) | 135 acres (55 ha) | 169 acres (68 ha) |
| 2018 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2019 | 19 acres (8 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2020 | 67 acres (27 ha) | under 1 ha | 68 acres (28 ha) |
| 2021 | 29 acres (12 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 33 acres (13 ha) |
| 2022 | 67 acres (27 ha) | under 1 ha | 68 acres (28 ha) |
| 2023 | 84 acres (34 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) | 94 acres (38 ha) |
| 2024 | 68 acres (28 ha) | under 1 ha | 69 acres (28 ha) |
| 2025 | 54 acres (22 ha) | under 1 ha | 54 acres (22 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Baton Rouge?
- Towns and roadscleared for good72% · 1,920 acres (779 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back23% · 610 acres (247 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good1.6% · 42 acres (17 ha)
Also: mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
- 30,200 acres (12,200 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 29,700 acres (12,000 ha)
- Overall change
- −529 acres (214 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Baton Rouge stayed about the same size, at about 29,700 acres (12,000 hectares): new forest grew on about 857 acres (347 hectares), and about 1,390 acres (561 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
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Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
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- Mobile302.3 km
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Frequently asked
Questions about Baton Rouge
What is the air quality (AQI) in Baton Rouge right now?
The latest reading for Baton Rouge shows an AQI of 85 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Capitol, 1.4 mi (2.3 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Baton Rouge today?
At AQI 85 (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 Baton Rouge been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Baton Rouge's daily AQI at 41 on average, from 31 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Baton Rouge lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Baton Rouge has lost about 2,670 acres (1,080 hectares) of forest (about 2,000 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Baton Rouge stayed about the same size, at about 29,700 acres (12,000 hectares): new forest grew on about 857 acres (347 hectares), and about 1,390 acres (561 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Baton Rouge?
Baton Rouge has an estimated 85,520 trees across the 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km²) of land measured — 34.9% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Baton Rouge need?
Baton Rouge has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Baton Rouge's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Baton Rouge, 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 Baton Rouge; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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