City report · Yunnan, China
Dali Air quality today
Air quality in Dali currently reads AQI 17 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 17
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 3.1
- tree cover
- 38.1%
- trees in this area
- 120K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Dali, Yunnan, China (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Dali · AQI 17 (Good)
Dali's tree count comes to 119,695 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Dali today: AQI 17, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 01:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · dàlǐ gǔchéng, Dali (大理州大理古城), 600 m away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
3.1
PM10
7.6
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project
- 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 Dali's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 12 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 82 on Nov 11.
Where Dali stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Dali: Healthy tree cover
38.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
119,695
Target trees
119,695
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Dali lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Dali has lost about 551 hectares of forest (about 770 football pitches): 4.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 211 hectares (38%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 551 haabout 770 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 211 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2013, when about 109 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | 13 ha | 10 ha | 23 ha |
| 2007 | 14 ha | 39 ha | 54 ha |
| 2008 | 21 ha | 6 ha | 28 ha |
| 2009 | 18 ha | 4 ha | 22 ha |
| 2010 | 9 ha | 17 ha | 26 ha |
| 2011 | 7 ha | 2 ha | 9 ha |
| 2012 | 6 ha | 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | 105 ha | 109 ha |
| 2014 | 11 ha | 32 ha | 42 ha |
| 2015 | 10 ha | 9 ha | 19 ha |
| 2016 | 14 ha | 55 ha | 69 ha |
| 2017 | 6 ha | 2 ha | 8 ha |
| 2018 | 2 ha | 5 ha | 7 ha |
| 2019 | 17 ha | 5 ha | 22 ha |
| 2020 | 19 ha | 2 ha | 21 ha |
| 2021 | 15 ha | 6 ha | 21 ha |
| 2022 | 3 ha | 32 ha | 35 ha |
| 2023 | 6 ha | 3 ha | 9 ha |
| 2024 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Dali?
- Wildfirescan grow back52% · 286 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good18% · 101 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good10% · 55 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, logging, 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
- 17,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 17,700 ha
- Overall change
- +671 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Dali grew from about 17,000 hectares to 17,700 hectares, a net gain of about 671 hectares (+3.9%). New forest grew on about 1,340 hectares, while 672 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 Dali
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Xiangcheng37.5 km
China
- Tree cover
- 7%
- Air quality
- 107
- Baoshan, Yunnan117.5 km
China
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 17
- Lushui138.2 km
China
- Tree cover
- 58%
- Air quality
- 61
- Lijiang142.8 km
China
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 72
- Chuxiong147.2 km
China
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 40
- Tengyue183.0 km
China
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 80
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Frequently asked
Questions about Dali
What is the air quality (AQI) in Dali right now?
The latest reading for Dali shows an AQI of 17 (Good), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by the dàlǐ gǔchéng, Dali (大理州大理古城) ground monitoring station, 600 m away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Dali today?
At AQI 17 (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 Dali been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Dali's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 12 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 82 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 Dali lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Dali has lost about 551 hectares of forest (about 770 football pitches): 4.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 211 hectares (38%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Dali grew from about 17,000 hectares to 17,700 hectares, a net gain of about 671 hectares (+3.9%). New forest grew on about 1,340 hectares, while 672 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Dali?
Dali has an estimated 119,695 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 38.1% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Dali need?
Dali has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Dali's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Dali, 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 2 km radius around Dali; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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