City report · Ohio, United States
Columbus Air quality today
Air quality in Columbus currently reads AQI 85 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 85
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 27.1
- tree cover
- 15.9%
- trees in this area
- 48.8K
- more trees needed
- 43.2K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Uptown District, Columbus, OH 43215, 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.
Columbus · AQI 85 (Moderate)
Columbus's tree count comes to 48,752 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.27 km²) of land, 14 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 43,233 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Columbus today: AQI 85, 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 · Fairgrounds, 2.9 mi (4.6 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
27.1
PM10
65.0
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 Columbus's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 20 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 11.
Where Columbus stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Columbus: Critically low
15.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.27 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
48,752
Target trees
91,985
More trees needed
43,233
CO₂ if planted / yr
951.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Columbus lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Columbus has lost about 275 acres (111 hectares) of forest (about 210 football fields): 3.8% 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 July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 275 acres (111 ha)about 210 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 3.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 253 acres (102 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2022, when about 54 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 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2002 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2008 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 27 acres (11 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 30 acres (12 ha) |
| 2018 | 48 acres (19 ha) | under 1 ha | 48 acres (19 ha) |
| 2019 | 16 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2020 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2022 | 52 acres (21 ha) | under 1 ha | 54 acres (22 ha) |
| 2023 | 23 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2024 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Columbus?
- Towns and roadscleared for good88% · 242 acres (98 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good3.2% · 9 acres (4 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown8.3% · 23 acres (9 ha)
Also: mining and energy.
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
- 17,400 acres (7,040 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 17,400 acres (7,050 ha)
- Overall change
- +47 acres (19 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Columbus stayed about the same size, at about 17,400 acres (7,050 hectares): new forest grew on about 682 acres (276 hectares), and about 638 acres (258 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.
- Dayton104.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 69
- Cincinnati159.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 75
- Meads174.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 71%
- Air quality
- 49
- Akron176.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
- 70
- Toledo195.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 61
- Cleveland203.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 84
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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 85 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Fairgrounds, 2.9 mi (4.6 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Columbus today?
At AQI 85 (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 Columbus been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Columbus's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 20 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 11. 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 275 acres (111 hectares) of forest (about 210 football fields): 3.8% 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 Columbus stayed about the same size, at about 17,400 acres (7,050 hectares): new forest grew on about 682 acres (276 hectares), and about 638 acres (258 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Columbus?
Columbus has an estimated 48,752 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.27 km²) of land measured — 15.9% tree cover, 14 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Columbus need?
Columbus needs roughly 43,233 more trees to close a 14-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 951.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Columbus's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Uptown District, 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 Uptown District; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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