City report · Amhara, Ethiopia
Dessie Air quality today
Air quality in Dessie currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 52
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 6.5
- tree cover
- 30.0%
- trees in this area
- 94.2K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Dese, Ethiopia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Dessie · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Dessie's tree count comes to 94,248 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 Dessie today: AQI 52, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
6.5
PM10
8.9
NO₂
0.0
O₃
67.0
SO₂
0.6
CO
191.0
- 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 Dessie's daily AQI at 73 on average, from 56 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 110 on Nov 11.
Where Dessie stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Dessie: Healthy tree cover
30.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
94,248
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Dessie lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Dessie has lost about 62 hectares of forest (about 86 football pitches): 5.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 16 hectares (25%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 62 haabout 86 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 16 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2024, when about 17 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2005 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | 15 ha | 17 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Dessie?
- Loggingcan grow back69% · 43 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good21% · 13 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good3.9% · 2 ha
Also: 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
- 12,400 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 12,700 ha
- Overall change
- +279 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Dessie grew from about 12,400 hectares to 12,700 hectares, a net gain of about 279 hectares (+2.2%). New forest grew on about 352 hectares, while 73 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 Dessie
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kombolcha13.3 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 28
- Weldiya77.3 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 67
- Debre Birhan162.0 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 25
- Debre Tabor193.3 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 38
- Debre Mark’os225.1 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 25
- Bahir Dar249.8 km
Ethiopia
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 52
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Frequently asked
Questions about Dessie
What is the air quality (AQI) in Dessie right now?
The latest reading for Dessie shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, 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 Dessie today?
At AQI 52 (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 Dessie been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Dessie's daily AQI at 73 on average, from 56 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 110 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 Dessie lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Dessie has lost about 62 hectares of forest (about 86 football pitches): 5.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 16 hectares (25%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Dessie grew from about 12,400 hectares to 12,700 hectares, a net gain of about 279 hectares (+2.2%). New forest grew on about 352 hectares, while 73 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Dessie?
Dessie has an estimated 94,248 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 30.0% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Dessie need?
Dessie has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Dessie'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 2 km radius around Dese; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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