City report · New York, United States
Buffalo Air quality today
Air quality in Buffalo currently reads AQI 57 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 57
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 12.1
- tree cover
- 16.2%
- trees in this area
- 40.6K
- more trees needed
- 34.6K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Buffalo, NY, 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.
Buffalo · AQI 57 (Moderate)
Buffalo's tree count comes to 40,562 trees across 3.9 sq mi (10.02 km²) of land, 14 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 34,553 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Buffalo today: AQI 57, 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 · Buffalo, 3.5 mi (5.7 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
12.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
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 Buffalo's daily AQI at 19 on average, from 12 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 47 on Nov 8.
Where Buffalo stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Buffalo: Critically low
16.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 3.9 sq mi (10.02 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
40,562
Target trees
75,115
More trees needed
34,553
CO₂ if planted / yr
760.2 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Buffalo lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Buffalo has lost about 221 acres (89 hectares) of forest (about 170 football fields): 2.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 221 acres (89 ha)about 170 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 203 acres (82 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2023, when about 55 acres (22 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2002 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2005 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | 2 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2013 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 29 acres (12 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 33 acres (13 ha) |
| 2018 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2019 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2020 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2021 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2022 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2023 | 55 acres (22 ha) | under 1 ha | 55 acres (22 ha) |
| 2024 | 21 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2025 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Buffalo?
- Towns and roadscleared for good81% · 178 acres (72 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good11% · 25 acres (10 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown8% · 18 acres (7 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
- 16,600 acres (6,730 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 16,800 acres (6,790 ha)
- Overall change
- +163 acres (66 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Buffalo stayed about the same size, at about 16,800 acres (6,790 hectares): new forest grew on about 563 acres (228 hectares), and about 400 acres (162 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 Buffalo
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Amherst12.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 57
- St. Catharines43.4 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 39
- Hamilton88.6 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 50
- Oakville90.5 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 28
- Toronto94.5 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 68
- Burlington95.6 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 44
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Frequently asked
Questions about Buffalo
What is the air quality (AQI) in Buffalo right now?
The latest reading for Buffalo shows an AQI of 57 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by the Buffalo ground monitoring station, 3.5 mi (5.7 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Buffalo today?
At AQI 57 (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 Buffalo been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Buffalo'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 Buffalo lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Buffalo has lost about 221 acres (89 hectares) of forest (about 170 football fields): 2.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Buffalo stayed about the same size, at about 16,800 acres (6,790 hectares): new forest grew on about 563 acres (228 hectares), and about 400 acres (162 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Buffalo?
Buffalo has an estimated 40,562 trees across the 3.9 sq mi (10.02 km²) of land measured — 16.2% tree cover, 14 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Buffalo need?
Buffalo needs roughly 34,553 more trees to close a 14-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 760.2 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Buffalo'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 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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