City report · Thuringia, Germany
Erfurt Air quality today
Air quality in Erfurt currently reads AQI 64 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 64
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 16.0
- tree cover
- 33.7%
- trees in this area
- 106K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Altstadt, Erfurt, Germany (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Erfurt · AQI 64 (Moderate)
Erfurt's tree count comes to 105,872 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 Erfurt today: AQI 64, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Erfurt Heinrichstr, 1.8 km away · median of 4 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
16.0
PM10
19.4
NO₂
26.8
O₃
7.2
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · EEA
- 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 Erfurt's daily AQI at 62 on average, from 49 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 8.
Where Erfurt stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Erfurt: Healthy tree cover
33.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
105,872
Target trees
105,872
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Erfurt lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Erfurt has lost about 130 hectares of forest (about 180 football pitches): 3.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 24 hectares (19%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 130 haabout 180 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.9%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 24 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2021, when about 29 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 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2002 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 4 ha | 7 ha | 10 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2010 | 7 ha | 3 ha | 10 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 8 ha | 8 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 15 ha | 15 ha |
| 2021 | 1 ha | 27 ha | 29 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 7 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 11 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Erfurt?
- Loggingcan grow back75% · 97 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good10% · 13 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good8.9% · 12 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
- 5,540 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 5,890 ha
- Overall change
- +346 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Erfurt grew from about 5,540 hectares to 5,890 hectares, a net gain of about 346 hectares (+6.2%). New forest grew on about 407 hectares, while 61 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
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Frequently asked
Questions about Erfurt
What is the air quality (AQI) in Erfurt right now?
The latest reading for Erfurt shows an AQI of 64 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 4 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Erfurt Heinrichstr, 1.8 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Erfurt today?
At AQI 64 (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 Erfurt been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Erfurt's daily AQI at 62 on average, from 49 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Erfurt lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Erfurt has lost about 130 hectares of forest (about 180 football pitches): 3.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 24 hectares (19%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Erfurt grew from about 5,540 hectares to 5,890 hectares, a net gain of about 346 hectares (+6.2%). New forest grew on about 407 hectares, while 61 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Erfurt?
Erfurt has an estimated 105,872 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 33.7% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Erfurt need?
Erfurt has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Erfurt's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Altstadt, 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 Altstadt; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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