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City report · England, United Kingdom

High Wycombe Air quality today

Air quality in High Wycombe currently reads AQI 83 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Air quality right now

AQI 83

Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
26.1
tree cover
40.9%
trees in this area
128K
more trees needed
0

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around High Wycombe, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 13, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

High Wycombe · AQI 83 (Moderate)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Aug 13, 2026

High Wycombe's tree count comes to 128,491 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 High Wycombe today: AQI 83, 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 · Emmbrook, 15.0 mi (24.1 km) away · median of 2 stations

Health signal

Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

PM2.5

26.1

PM10

—

NO₂

—

O₃

—

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Marco, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading

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 High Wycombe's daily AQI at 68 on average, from 35 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 102 on Nov 6.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 68 · peak 102
Nov 4: AQI 35 (peak 50)Nov 5: AQI 45 (peak 57)Nov 6: AQI 78 (peak 102)Nov 7: AQI 86 (peak 96)Nov 8: AQI 82 (peak 89)Nov 9: AQI 78 (peak 91)Nov 10: AQI 74 (peak 75)
Nov 4Nov 10

This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index

Where High Wycombe stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in High Wycombe: Healthy tree cover

40.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).

Target reached

Trees in this area

128,491

Target trees

128,491

More trees needed

0

CO₂ if planted / yr

0 kg

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has High Wycombe lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of High Wycombe has lost about 146 hectares of forest (about 200 football pitches): 2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 15 hectares (10%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around High Wycombe, August 2017

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

Forest lost since 2001
146 haabout 200 football pitches
Share of its forest
2%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
15 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2008, when about 24 hectares of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around High Wycombe, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around High Wycombe, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.24.2

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around High Wycombe, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2002under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2005under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2006under 1 ha11 ha12 ha
20073 ha1 ha5 ha
20084 ha20 ha24 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2010under 1 ha7 ha8 ha
2011under 1 ha8 ha8 ha
2012under 1 ha3 ha4 ha
2013under 1 ha6 ha6 ha
20142 ha16 ha18 ha
2015under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
20162 ha3 ha5 ha
2017under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2018under 1 ha3 ha3 ha
20192 ha20 ha21 ha
2020under 1 ha6 ha6 ha
2021under 1 ha9 ha9 ha
2022under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2023under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2024under 1 ha5 ha5 ha
2025under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha

What is causing deforestation around High Wycombe?

  • Loggingcan grow back77% · 112 ha
  • Towns and roadscleared for good10% · 15 ha
  • Unknown causescause unknown13% · 19 ha

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
11,300 ha
Forest in 2020
11,700 ha
Overall change
+433 hamore forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around High Wycombe grew from about 11,300 hectares to 11,700 hectares, a net gain of about 433 hectares (+3.8%). New forest grew on about 544 hectares, while 111 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 High Wycombe

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

  • Slough

    United Kingdom

    17.0 km
    Tree cover
    21%
    Air quality
    62
  • Watford

    United Kingdom

    24.6 km
    Tree cover
    30%
    Air quality
    59
  • Reading

    United Kingdom

    24.6 km
    Tree cover
    28%
    Air quality
    83
  • Harrow

    United Kingdom

    29.4 km
    Tree cover
    29%
    Air quality
    62
  • Luton

    United Kingdom

    36.0 km
    Tree cover
    24%
    Air quality
    65
  • Woking

    United Kingdom

    36.9 km
    Tree cover
    54%
    Air quality
    100

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High Wycombe air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about High Wycombe

What is the air quality (AQI) in High Wycombe right now?

The latest reading for High Wycombe shows an AQI of 83 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Emmbrook, 15.0 mi (24.1 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Is it safe to exercise outside in High Wycombe today?

At AQI 83 (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 High Wycombe been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put High Wycombe's daily AQI at 68 on average, from 35 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 102 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Is High Wycombe's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?

No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.

How much forest has the area around High Wycombe lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of High Wycombe has lost about 146 hectares of forest (about 200 football pitches): 2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 15 hectares (10%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around High Wycombe grew from about 11,300 hectares to 11,700 hectares, a net gain of about 433 hectares (+3.8%). New forest grew on about 544 hectares, while 111 hectares were lost.

What is the tree count in High Wycombe?

High Wycombe has an estimated 128,491 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 40.9% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does High Wycombe need?

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

How are High Wycombe's air quality and tree cover measured?

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

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