City report · Brittany, France
Brest Air quality today
Air quality in Brest currently reads AQI 17 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 17
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 3.1
- tree cover
- 21.1%
- trees in this area
- 52.2K
- more trees needed
- 22.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Downtown, 29200 Brest, France (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 5, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Brest · AQI 17 (Good)
Brest's tree count comes to 52,168 trees across 9.89 km² of land, 9 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 22,005 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Brest today: AQI 17, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Brest Mace, 500 m away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
3.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · EEA
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Brest's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 21 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 6.
Where Brest stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Brest: Below target
21.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 9.89 km² of land.
Trees in this area
52,168
Target trees
74,173
More trees needed
22,005
CO₂ if planted / yr
484.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Brest lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Brest has lost about 54 hectares of forest (about 76 football pitches): 1.7% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (42%), after which forest can grow back. About 19 hectares (35%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2018: satellite photo from September 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 54 haabout 76 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 19 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2024, when about 7 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2007 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2016 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 5 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Brest?
- Loggingcan grow back42% · 23 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good25% · 13 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good10% · 6 ha
Also: 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
- 5,030 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 5,410 ha
- Overall change
- +379 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Brest grew from about 5,030 hectares to 5,410 hectares, a net gain of about 379 hectares (+7.5%). New forest grew on about 466 hectares, while 87 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 Brest
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Saint Peter Port185.6 km
Guernsey
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 24
- Saint Helier195.7 km
Jersey
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 36
- Rennes210.5 km
France
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 69
- Plymouth221.7 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 25
- Nantes254.9 km
France
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 43
- Exeter268.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 80
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Frequently asked
Questions about Brest
What is the air quality (AQI) in Brest right now?
The latest reading for Brest shows an AQI of 17 (Good), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by the Brest Mace ground monitoring station, 500 m away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Brest today?
At AQI 17 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Brest been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Brest's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 21 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Brest lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Brest has lost about 54 hectares of forest (about 76 football pitches): 1.7% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (42%), after which forest can grow back. About 19 hectares (35%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Brest grew from about 5,030 hectares to 5,410 hectares, a net gain of about 379 hectares (+7.5%). New forest grew on about 466 hectares, while 87 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Brest?
Brest has an estimated 52,168 trees across the 9.89 km² of land measured — 21.1% tree cover, 9 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Brest need?
Brest needs roughly 22,005 more trees to close a 9-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 484.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Brest's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown, 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 2 km radius around Downtown; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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