City report · England, United Kingdom
Burnley Air quality today
Air quality in Burnley currently reads AQI 67 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 67
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 19.1
- tree cover
- 34.8%
- trees in this area
- 109K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Burnley, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Burnley · AQI 67 (Moderate)
Burnley's tree count comes to 109,327 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 Burnley today: AQI 67, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 09:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 8 ground-station cities within 45 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 8 station cities within 28.0 mi (45 km), e.g. Bolton and Oldham
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
19.1
PM10
17.8
NO₂
11.8
O₃
39.0
SO₂
2.4
CO
210.0
- 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 Burnley's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 14 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 7.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Burnley stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Burnley: Healthy tree cover
34.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
109,327
Target trees
109,327
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Burnley lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Burnley has lost about 261 hectares of forest (about 370 football pitches): 9.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 26 hectares (10%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2018: satellite photo from June 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 261 haabout 370 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 9.2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 26 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2005, when about 58 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3 ha | 28 ha | 31 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 5 ha | 30 ha | 35 ha |
| 2005 | 10 ha | 49 ha | 58 ha |
| 2006 | 5 ha | 43 ha | 48 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 11 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | 9 ha | 9 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | 11 ha | 12 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 31 ha | 31 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 7 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Burnley?
- Wildfirescan grow back64% · 166 ha
- Loggingcan grow back21% · 54 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good9.5% · 25 ha
Also: towns and roads, 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
- 1,760 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,180 ha
- Overall change
- +420 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Burnley grew from about 1,760 hectares to 2,180 hectares, a net gain of about 420 hectares (+24%). New forest grew on about 476 hectares, while 56 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 Burnley
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Blackburn17.3 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 64
- Bolton27.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 39
- Oldham29.8 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 53
- Preston31.2 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 50
- Bradford31.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 15
- Huddersfield34.0 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 27
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Frequently asked
Questions about Burnley
What is the air quality (AQI) in Burnley right now?
The latest reading for Burnley shows an AQI of 67 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 09:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 8 ground-station cities within 45 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Burnley today?
At AQI 67 (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 Burnley been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Burnley's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 14 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Burnley's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.
How much forest has the area around Burnley lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Burnley has lost about 261 hectares of forest (about 370 football pitches): 9.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 26 hectares (10%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Burnley grew from about 1,760 hectares to 2,180 hectares, a net gain of about 420 hectares (+24%). New forest grew on about 476 hectares, while 56 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Burnley?
Burnley has an estimated 109,327 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 34.8% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Burnley need?
Burnley has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Burnley's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Burnley; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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