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City report · California, United States

Chico Air quality today

Air quality in Chico currently reads AQI 25 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Air quality right now

AQI 25

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
4.5
tree cover
52.5%
trees in this area
165K
more trees needed
0

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Chico, CA, 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.

Chico · AQI 25 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 15, 2026

Chico's tree count comes to 164,934 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 Chico today: AQI 25, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 06:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Chico - East, 2.3 mi (3.7 km) away

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

4.5

PM10

—

NO₂

13.4

O₃

11.8

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: OpenAQ · AirNow

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 Chico's daily AQI at 34 on average, from 16 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 63 on Nov 8.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 34 · peak 63
Nov 4: AQI 36 (peak 56)Nov 5: AQI 17 (peak 45)Nov 6: AQI 16 (peak 32)Nov 7: AQI 50 (peak 62)Nov 8: AQI 49 (peak 63)Nov 9: AQI 43 (peak 56)Nov 10: AQI 30 (peak 52)
Nov 4Nov 10

Where Chico stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Chico: Healthy tree cover

52.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).

Target reached

Trees in this area

164,934

Target trees

164,934

More trees needed

0

CO₂ if planted / yr

0 kg

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Chico lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Chico has lost about 3,940 acres (1,600 hectares) of forest (about 3,000 football fields): 35% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (96%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.

Satellite image of the area around Chico, July 2017

2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
3,940 acres (1,600 ha)about 3,000 football fields
Share of its forest
35%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
3,780 acres (1,530 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

Forest loss is speeding up: about 343 acres (139 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, up from 183 acres (74 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2023, when about 845 acres (342 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Chico, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Chico, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.845

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Chico, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
200186 acres (35 ha)under 1 ha86 acres (35 ha)
200265 acres (26 ha)under 1 ha67 acres (27 ha)
200335 acres (14 ha)under 1 ha36 acres (15 ha)
200440 acres (16 ha)under 1 ha41 acres (17 ha)
200542 acres (17 ha)under 1 ha42 acres (17 ha)
200683 acres (34 ha)2 acres (1 ha)86 acres (35 ha)
200713 acres (5 ha)24 acres (10 ha)38 acres (15 ha)
2008190 acres (77 ha)56 acres (23 ha)246 acres (100 ha)
2009398 acres (161 ha)under 1 ha398 acres (161 ha)
201048 acres (20 ha)under 1 ha48 acres (20 ha)
201191 acres (37 ha)under 1 ha92 acres (37 ha)
2012105 acres (42 ha)under 1 ha105 acres (42 ha)
20138 acres (3 ha)under 1 ha8 acres (3 ha)
201416 acres (6 ha)under 1 ha16 acres (7 ha)
20157 acres (3 ha)under 1 ha7 acres (3 ha)
2016241 acres (98 ha)11 acres (4 ha)252 acres (102 ha)
2017133 acres (54 ha)under 1 ha133 acres (54 ha)
201867 acres (27 ha)under 1 ha68 acres (27 ha)
2019339 acres (137 ha)54 acres (22 ha)393 acres (159 ha)
202068 acres (28 ha)under 1 ha68 acres (28 ha)
2021114 acres (46 ha)under 1 ha114 acres (46 ha)
2022159 acres (64 ha)under 1 ha159 acres (64 ha)
2023845 acres (342 ha)under 1 ha845 acres (342 ha)
2024230 acres (93 ha)under 1 ha231 acres (94 ha)
2025363 acres (147 ha)2 acres (1 ha)366 acres (148 ha)

What is causing deforestation around Chico?

  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good93% · 3,660 acres (1,480 ha)
  • Wildfirescan grow back3.3% · 131 acres (53 ha)
  • Towns and roadscleared for good3.1% · 124 acres (50 ha)

Also: 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
18,600 acres (7,510 ha)
Forest in 2020
19,300 acres (7,800 ha)
Overall change
+707 acres (286 ha)more forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Chico grew from about 18,600 acres (7,510 hectares) to 19,300 acres (7,800 hectares), a net gain of about 707 acres (286 hectares) (+3.8%). New forest grew on about 2,270 acres (917 hectares), while 1,560 acres (631 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 Chico

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Roseville

    United States

    118.4 km
    Tree cover
    23%
    Air quality
    52
  • Sacramento

    United States

    130.9 km
    Tree cover
    26%
    Air quality
    63
  • Elk Grove

    United States

    152.2 km
    Tree cover
    21%
    Air quality
    52
  • Santa Rosa

    United States

    162.0 km
    Tree cover
    26%
    Air quality
    30
  • Fairfield

    United States

    165.4 km
    Tree cover
    11%
    Air quality
    8
  • Reno

    United States

    174.7 km
    Tree cover
    17%
    Air quality
    42

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Chico air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Chico

What is the air quality (AQI) in Chico right now?

The latest reading for Chico shows an AQI of 25 (Good), measured Nov 11, 06:00 local time by the Chico - East ground monitoring station, 2.3 mi (3.7 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Chico today?

At AQI 25 (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 Chico been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Chico's daily AQI at 34 on average, from 16 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 63 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 Chico lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Chico has lost about 3,940 acres (1,600 hectares) of forest (about 3,000 football fields): 35% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (96%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is speeding up: about 343 acres (139 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, up from 183 acres (74 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Chico grew from about 18,600 acres (7,510 hectares) to 19,300 acres (7,800 hectares), a net gain of about 707 acres (286 hectares) (+3.8%). New forest grew on about 2,270 acres (917 hectares), while 1,560 acres (631 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Chico?

Chico has an estimated 164,934 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 52.5% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Chico need?

Chico has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.

How are Chico's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Chico, 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 Chico; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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