City report · North Carolina, United States
Durham Air quality today
Air quality in Durham currently reads AQI 26 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 26
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 1.1
- tree cover
- 48.8%
- trees in this area
- 153K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Durham, NC, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Durham · AQI 26 (Good)
Durham's tree count comes to 153,310 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 Durham today: AQI 26, Good
Main pollutant: Ozone · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Duke University, 2.3 mi (3.7 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
1.1
PM10
16.0
NO₂
—
O₃
55.0
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, Trailokaya Raj Bajgain
- 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 Durham's daily AQI at 34 on average, from 25 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 57 on Nov 6.
Where Durham stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Durham: Healthy tree cover
48.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
153,310
Target trees
153,310
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Durham lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Durham has lost about 8,750 acres (3,540 hectares) of forest (about 6,600 football fields): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) 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 southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 8,750 acres (3,540 ha)about 6,600 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 18%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 7,510 acres (3,040 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 306 acres (124 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, against 327 acres (132 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2005, when about 818 acres (331 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 | 470 acres (190 ha) | 47 acres (19 ha) | 516 acres (209 ha) |
| 2002 | 326 acres (132 ha) | 20 acres (8 ha) | 346 acres (140 ha) |
| 2003 | 351 acres (142 ha) | 72 acres (29 ha) | 423 acres (171 ha) |
| 2004 | 652 acres (264 ha) | 67 acres (27 ha) | 719 acres (291 ha) |
| 2005 | 729 acres (295 ha) | 89 acres (36 ha) | 818 acres (331 ha) |
| 2006 | 378 acres (153 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) | 418 acres (169 ha) |
| 2007 | 236 acres (95 ha) | 39 acres (16 ha) | 274 acres (111 ha) |
| 2008 | 250 acres (101 ha) | 54 acres (22 ha) | 304 acres (123 ha) |
| 2009 | 69 acres (28 ha) | 43 acres (18 ha) | 112 acres (45 ha) |
| 2010 | 174 acres (70 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) | 195 acres (79 ha) |
| 2011 | 156 acres (63 ha) | 96 acres (39 ha) | 252 acres (102 ha) |
| 2012 | 239 acres (97 ha) | 79 acres (32 ha) | 319 acres (129 ha) |
| 2013 | 200 acres (81 ha) | 32 acres (13 ha) | 232 acres (94 ha) |
| 2014 | 257 acres (104 ha) | 77 acres (31 ha) | 334 acres (135 ha) |
| 2015 | 287 acres (116 ha) | 35 acres (14 ha) | 321 acres (130 ha) |
| 2016 | 336 acres (136 ha) | 99 acres (40 ha) | 435 acres (176 ha) |
| 2017 | 301 acres (122 ha) | 30 acres (12 ha) | 331 acres (134 ha) |
| 2018 | 140 acres (57 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 146 acres (59 ha) |
| 2019 | 306 acres (124 ha) | 54 acres (22 ha) | 361 acres (146 ha) |
| 2020 | 287 acres (116 ha) | 77 acres (31 ha) | 363 acres (147 ha) |
| 2021 | 289 acres (117 ha) | 59 acres (24 ha) | 348 acres (141 ha) |
| 2022 | 299 acres (121 ha) | 35 acres (14 ha) | 334 acres (135 ha) |
| 2023 | 274 acres (111 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 279 acres (113 ha) |
| 2024 | 311 acres (126 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) | 334 acres (135 ha) |
| 2025 | 190 acres (77 ha) | 43 acres (17 ha) | 233 acres (94 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Durham?
- Towns and roadscleared for good84% · 7,340 acres (2,970 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back14% · 1,230 acres (496 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good1.5% · 127 acres (52 ha)
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, 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
- 58,600 acres (23,700 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 57,600 acres (23,300 ha)
- Overall change
- −1,070 acres (435 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Durham stayed about the same size, at about 57,600 acres (23,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 2,480 acres (1,000 hectares), and about 3,560 acres (1,440 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 Durham
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Cary24.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 70%
- Air quality
- 22
- Raleigh34.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 47
- Greensboro80.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 18
- High Point99.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 18
- Fayetteville104.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 18
- Winston-Salem121.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
- 40
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Frequently asked
Questions about Durham
What is the air quality (AQI) in Durham right now?
The latest reading for Durham shows an AQI of 26 (Good), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Duke University, 2.3 mi (3.7 km) away). The main pollutant is Ozone. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Durham today?
At AQI 26 (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 Durham been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Durham's daily AQI at 34 on average, from 25 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 57 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Durham lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Durham has lost about 8,750 acres (3,540 hectares) of forest (about 6,600 football fields): 18% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 306 acres (124 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, against 327 acres (132 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Durham stayed about the same size, at about 57,600 acres (23,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 2,480 acres (1,000 hectares), and about 3,560 acres (1,440 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Durham?
Durham has an estimated 153,310 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 48.8% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Durham need?
Durham has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Durham's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown, 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 Downtown; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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