City report · Tennessee, United States
Chattanooga Air quality today
Air quality in Chattanooga currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 53
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.0
- tree cover
- 16.4%
- trees in this area
- 43.8K
- more trees needed
- 36.4K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around City Center, Chattanooga, TN, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Chattanooga · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Chattanooga's tree count comes to 43,845 trees across 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km²) of land, 14 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 36,360 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Chattanooga today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 08:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 6 ground-station cities within 185 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 6 station cities within 115.0 mi (185 km), e.g. Huntsville and Sandy Springs
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.0
PM10
14.8
NO₂
15.8
O₃
23.0
SO₂
0.4
CO
230.0
- 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 Chattanooga's daily AQI at 35 on average, from 16 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 10.
Where Chattanooga stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Chattanooga: Critically low
16.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
43,845
Target trees
80,205
More trees needed
36,360
CO₂ if planted / yr
799.9 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Chattanooga lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Chattanooga has lost about 1,920 acres (779 hectares) of forest (about 1,500 football fields): 4.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,920 acres (779 ha)about 1,500 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 4.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,510 acres (610 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 203 acres (82 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 | 143 acres (58 ha) | 60 acres (24 ha) | 203 acres (82 ha) |
| 2002 | 63 acres (25 ha) | 24 acres (10 ha) | 87 acres (35 ha) |
| 2003 | 42 acres (17 ha) | 90 acres (36 ha) | 132 acres (53 ha) |
| 2004 | 108 acres (44 ha) | 11 acres (4 ha) | 119 acres (48 ha) |
| 2005 | 145 acres (59 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) | 164 acres (66 ha) |
| 2006 | 85 acres (34 ha) | 37 acres (15 ha) | 122 acres (49 ha) |
| 2007 | 98 acres (40 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) | 108 acres (44 ha) |
| 2008 | 52 acres (21 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 55 acres (22 ha) |
| 2009 | 30 acres (12 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2010 | 38 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| 2011 | 81 acres (33 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 84 acres (34 ha) |
| 2012 | 17 acres (7 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 21 acres (8 ha) |
| 2013 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2014 | 93 acres (38 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 99 acres (40 ha) |
| 2015 | 16 acres (6 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) |
| 2016 | 64 acres (26 ha) | 61 acres (25 ha) | 125 acres (50 ha) |
| 2017 | 45 acres (18 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) | 67 acres (27 ha) |
| 2018 | 42 acres (17 ha) | 23 acres (9 ha) | 65 acres (26 ha) |
| 2019 | 78 acres (32 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 83 acres (34 ha) |
| 2020 | 53 acres (21 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 59 acres (24 ha) |
| 2021 | 49 acres (20 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 52 acres (21 ha) |
| 2022 | 50 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 51 acres (21 ha) |
| 2023 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2024 | 60 acres (24 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 65 acres (26 ha) |
| 2025 | 34 acres (14 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 42 acres (17 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Chattanooga?
- Towns and roadscleared for good74% · 1,420 acres (575 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back19% · 368 acres (149 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good2.8% · 54 acres (22 ha)
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, 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
- 49,600 acres (20,100 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 48,600 acres (19,700 ha)
- Overall change
- −1,060 acres (428 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Chattanooga shrank from about 49,600 acres (20,100 hectares) to 48,600 acres (19,700 hectares), a net loss of about 1,060 acres (428 hectares) (−2.1%). New forest grew on about 591 acres (239 hectares), but 1,650 acres (666 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 Chattanooga
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Huntsville121.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 59
- Murfreesboro132.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 28
- Sandy Springs151.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 61%
- Air quality
- 73
- Knoxville161.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 60
- Atlanta167.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 53
- South Fulton175.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 72%
- Air quality
- 53
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Frequently asked
Questions about Chattanooga
What is the air quality (AQI) in Chattanooga right now?
The latest reading for Chattanooga shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 08:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 6 ground-station cities within 185 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 Chattanooga today?
At AQI 53 (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 Chattanooga been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Chattanooga's daily AQI at 35 on average, from 16 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Chattanooga lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Chattanooga has lost about 1,920 acres (779 hectares) of forest (about 1,500 football fields): 4.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Chattanooga shrank from about 49,600 acres (20,100 hectares) to 48,600 acres (19,700 hectares), a net loss of about 1,060 acres (428 hectares) (−2.1%). New forest grew on about 591 acres (239 hectares), but 1,650 acres (666 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Chattanooga?
Chattanooga has an estimated 43,845 trees across the 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km²) of land measured — 16.4% tree cover, 14 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Chattanooga need?
Chattanooga needs roughly 36,360 more trees to close a 14-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 799.9 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Chattanooga'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 City Center; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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