City report · Georgia, United States
Columbus Air quality today
Air quality in Columbus currently reads AQI 37 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 37
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 6.7
- tree cover
- 36.5%
- trees in this area
- 113K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Columbus, GA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 26, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Columbus · AQI 37 (Good)
Columbus's tree count comes to 112,604 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.34 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Columbus today: AQI 37, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Columbus Baker Stree, 3.4 mi (5.4 km) away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
6.7
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
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 Columbus's daily AQI at 22 on average, from 15 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 50 on Nov 7.
Where Columbus stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Columbus: Healthy tree cover
36.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.34 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
112,604
Target trees
112,604
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Columbus lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Columbus has lost about 6,230 acres (2,520 hectares) of forest (about 4,700 football fields): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (74%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 6,230 acres (2,520 ha)about 4,700 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 18%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 4,610 acres (1,870 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 798 acres (323 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 | 282 acres (114 ha) | 114 acres (46 ha) | 395 acres (160 ha) |
| 2002 | 117 acres (47 ha) | 51 acres (21 ha) | 168 acres (68 ha) |
| 2003 | 243 acres (99 ha) | 192 acres (78 ha) | 435 acres (176 ha) |
| 2004 | 418 acres (169 ha) | 17 acres (7 ha) | 435 acres (176 ha) |
| 2005 | 442 acres (179 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) | 457 acres (185 ha) |
| 2006 | 487 acres (197 ha) | 54 acres (22 ha) | 541 acres (219 ha) |
| 2007 | 477 acres (193 ha) | 62 acres (25 ha) | 539 acres (218 ha) |
| 2008 | 625 acres (253 ha) | 173 acres (70 ha) | 798 acres (323 ha) |
| 2009 | 142 acres (57 ha) | 167 acres (68 ha) | 309 acres (125 ha) |
| 2010 | 257 acres (104 ha) | 77 acres (31 ha) | 334 acres (135 ha) |
| 2011 | 120 acres (49 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) | 149 acres (60 ha) |
| 2012 | 157 acres (64 ha) | 51 acres (21 ha) | 209 acres (85 ha) |
| 2013 | 30 acres (12 ha) | 188 acres (76 ha) | 218 acres (88 ha) |
| 2014 | 48 acres (20 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) | 70 acres (29 ha) |
| 2015 | 80 acres (33 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) | 107 acres (44 ha) |
| 2016 | 90 acres (36 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) | 108 acres (44 ha) |
| 2017 | 147 acres (60 ha) | 112 acres (46 ha) | 259 acres (105 ha) |
| 2018 | 56 acres (23 ha) | under 1 ha | 59 acres (24 ha) |
| 2019 | 40 acres (16 ha) | 37 acres (15 ha) | 77 acres (31 ha) |
| 2020 | 50 acres (20 ha) | 33 acres (13 ha) | 83 acres (34 ha) |
| 2021 | 46 acres (19 ha) | 103 acres (42 ha) | 149 acres (60 ha) |
| 2022 | 89 acres (36 ha) | 42 acres (17 ha) | 131 acres (53 ha) |
| 2023 | 52 acres (21 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) | 67 acres (27 ha) |
| 2024 | 36 acres (15 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 43 acres (17 ha) |
| 2025 | 77 acres (31 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) | 87 acres (35 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Columbus?
- Towns and roadscleared for good70% · 4,360 acres (1,770 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back25% · 1,570 acres (634 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good2.6% · 159 acres (64 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
- 45,400 acres (18,400 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 45,100 acres (18,300 ha)
- Overall change
- −321 acres (130 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Columbus stayed about the same size, at about 45,100 acres (18,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 2,520 acres (1,020 hectares), and about 2,840 acres (1,150 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 Columbus
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Montgomery123.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 152
- South Fulton133.2 km
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- Tree cover
- 72%
- Air quality
- 53
- Atlanta153.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 53
- Sandy Springs172.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 61%
- Air quality
- 73
- Birmingham206.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 74
- Athens224.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 59%
- Air quality
- 53
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Frequently asked
Questions about Columbus
What is the air quality (AQI) in Columbus right now?
The latest reading for Columbus shows an AQI of 37 (Good), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by the Columbus Baker Stree ground monitoring station, 3.4 mi (5.4 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Columbus today?
At AQI 37 (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 Columbus been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Columbus's daily AQI at 22 on average, from 15 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 50 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Columbus lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Columbus has lost about 6,230 acres (2,520 hectares) of forest (about 4,700 football fields): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (74%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Columbus stayed about the same size, at about 45,100 acres (18,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 2,520 acres (1,020 hectares), and about 2,840 acres (1,150 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Columbus?
Columbus has an estimated 112,604 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.34 km²) of land measured — 36.5% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Columbus need?
Columbus has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Columbus's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Columbus, 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 Columbus; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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