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City report · Colorado, United States

Fort Collins Air quality today

Air quality in Fort Collins currently reads AQI 37 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Air quality right now

AQI 37

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
6.6
tree cover
38.2%
trees in this area
119K
more trees needed
0

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Old Town West, Fort Collins, CO, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 4, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Fort Collins · AQI 37 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 4, 2026

Fort Collins's tree count comes to 119,289 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.49 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Fort Collins today: AQI 37, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Ft. Collins - CSU Fa, 1.0 mi (1.6 km) away · median of 3 stations

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

6.6

PM10

—

NO₂

—

O₃

64.8

SO₂

—

CO

572.8

Data: OpenAQ · AirNow

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 Fort Collins's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 27 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 56 on Nov 9.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 39 · peak 56
Nov 4: AQI 42 (peak 55)Nov 5: AQI 43 (peak 55)Nov 6: AQI 39 (peak 55)Nov 7: AQI 27 (peak 48)Nov 8: AQI 31 (peak 44)Nov 9: AQI 41 (peak 56)Nov 10: AQI 52 (peak 56)
Nov 4Nov 10

Where Fort Collins stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Fort Collins: Healthy tree cover

38.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.49 km²) of land.

Target reached

Trees in this area

119,289

Target trees

119,289

More trees needed

0

CO₂ if planted / yr

0 kg

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Fort Collins lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Fort Collins has lost about 70 acres (28 hectares) of forest (about 53 football fields): 6.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 4 acres (2 hectares) (6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around Fort Collins, July 2017

2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
70 acres (28 ha)about 53 football fields
Share of its forest
6.9%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
4 acres (2 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2007, when about 23 acres (9 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Fort Collins, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Fort Collins, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.23

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Fort Collins, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2002under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 ha8 acres (3 ha)9 acres (4 ha)
2005under 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)3 acres (1 ha)
2006under 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)3 acres (1 ha)
2007under 1 ha23 acres (9 ha)23 acres (9 ha)
2008under 1 ha5 acres (2 ha)6 acres (2 ha)
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2010under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2011under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2012under 1 ha8 acres (3 ha)8 acres (3 ha)
2013under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2014under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2016under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2017under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2018under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2019under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 ha7 acres (3 ha)7 acres (3 ha)
2024under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2025under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha

What is causing deforestation around Fort Collins?

  • Loggingcan grow back55% · 38 acres (15 ha)
  • Wildfirescan grow back34% · 24 acres (10 ha)
  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good4.3% · 3 acres (1 ha)

Also: towns and roads, 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
6,260 acres (2,540 ha)
Forest in 2020
7,490 acres (3,030 ha)
Overall change
+1,220 acres (495 ha)more forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Fort Collins grew from about 6,260 acres (2,540 hectares) to 7,490 acres (3,030 hectares), a net gain of about 1,220 acres (495 hectares) (+20%). New forest grew on about 1,280 acres (520 hectares), while 62 acres (25 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 Fort Collins

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Greeley

    United States

    36.5 km
    Tree cover
    23%
    Air quality
    25
  • Boulder

    United States

    65.4 km
    Tree cover
    38%
    Air quality
    14
  • Thornton

    United States

    80.3 km
    Tree cover
    10%
    Air quality
    132
  • Arvada

    United States

    87.0 km
    Tree cover
    21%
    Air quality
    32
  • Denver

    United States

    94.5 km
    Tree cover
    13%
    Air quality
    29
  • Aurora

    United States

    97.6 km
    Tree cover
    14%
    Air quality
    23

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Fort Collins air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Fort Collins

What is the air quality (AQI) in Fort Collins right now?

The latest reading for Fort Collins shows an AQI of 37 (Good), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Ft. Collins - CSU Fa, 1.0 mi (1.6 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Fort Collins today?

At AQI 37 (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 Fort Collins been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Fort Collins's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 27 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 56 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

How much forest has the area around Fort Collins lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Fort Collins has lost about 70 acres (28 hectares) of forest (about 53 football fields): 6.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 4 acres (2 hectares) (6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Fort Collins grew from about 6,260 acres (2,540 hectares) to 7,490 acres (3,030 hectares), a net gain of about 1,220 acres (495 hectares) (+20%). New forest grew on about 1,280 acres (520 hectares), while 62 acres (25 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Fort Collins?

Fort Collins has an estimated 119,289 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.49 km²) of land measured — 38.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Fort Collins need?

Fort Collins has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.

How are Fort Collins's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Old Town West, 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 Old Town West; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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