City report · North Korea
Hyesan Air quality today
Air quality in Hyesan currently reads AQI 85 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 85
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 28.6
- tree cover
- 13.9%
- trees in this area
- 43.0K
- more trees needed
- 49.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Hyesan, Ryanggang, North Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Hyesan · AQI 85 (Moderate)
Hyesan's tree count comes to 43,013 trees across 12.38 km² of land, 16 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 49,821 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Hyesan today: AQI 85, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 04:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 205 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 205 km, e.g. Baishan and Tonghua
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
28.6
PM10
37.3
NO₂
3.9
O₃
65.0
SO₂
4.3
CO
230.0
- 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 Hyesan's daily AQI at 48 on average, from 31 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 94 on Nov 5.
Where Hyesan stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Hyesan: Critically low
13.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.38 km² of land.
Trees in this area
43,013
Target trees
92,834
More trees needed
49,821
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,096 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Hyesan lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Hyesan has lost about 452 hectares of forest (about 630 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 30 hectares (6.6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 4 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 452 haabout 630 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 30 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2019, when about 149 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 | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 10 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 18 ha | 18 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 11 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 7 ha | 7 ha |
| 2012 | 3 ha | 11 ha | 14 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2014 | 5 ha | 9 ha | 14 ha |
| 2015 | 5 ha | 37 ha | 42 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | 14 ha | 17 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 18 ha | 18 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | 146 ha | 149 ha |
| 2020 | 4 ha | 24 ha | 28 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 17 ha | 17 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 11 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 17 ha | 17 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | 23 ha | 26 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 12 ha | 12 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Hyesan?
- Loggingcan grow back79% · 357 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back13% · 59 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good6.3% · 28 ha
Also: towns and roads, mining and energy, 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
- 11,200 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,900 ha
- Overall change
- +661 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Hyesan grew from about 11,200 hectares to 11,900 hectares, a net gain of about 661 hectares (+5.9%). New forest grew on about 919 hectares, while 258 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 Hyesan
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Changam-ch’on102.0 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 61%
- Air quality
- 56
- Chongjin139.9 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 3%
- Air quality
- 62
- Kanggye141.7 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 114
- Sinp’o151.5 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 55
- Baishan157.8 km
China
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 135
- Manp’o160.2 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 105
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Frequently asked
Questions about Hyesan
What is the air quality (AQI) in Hyesan right now?
The latest reading for Hyesan shows an AQI of 85 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 04:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 205 km, 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 Hyesan today?
At AQI 85 (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 Hyesan been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Hyesan's daily AQI at 48 on average, from 31 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 94 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Hyesan lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Hyesan has lost about 452 hectares of forest (about 630 football pitches): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 30 hectares (6.6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Hyesan grew from about 11,200 hectares to 11,900 hectares, a net gain of about 661 hectares (+5.9%). New forest grew on about 919 hectares, while 258 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Hyesan?
Hyesan has an estimated 43,013 trees across the 12.38 km² of land measured — 13.9% tree cover, 16 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Hyesan need?
Hyesan needs roughly 49,821 more trees to close a 16-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,096 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Hyesan'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 Hyesan; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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