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City report · California, United States

Irvine Air quality today

Air quality in Irvine currently reads AQI 24 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Air quality right now

AQI 24

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
4.4
tree cover
27.8%
trees in this area
86.6K
more trees needed
6.9K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Rancho San Joaquin, Irvine, CA, 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.

Irvine · AQI 24 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 14, 2026

Irvine's tree count comes to 86,638 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.47 km²) of land, 2 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 6,856 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Irvine today: AQI 24, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Westpark, 1.1 mi (1.8 km) away · median of 5 stations

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

4.4

PM10

—

NO₂

—

O₃

—

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Velvet, East 1st St

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 Irvine's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 41 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 4.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 50 · peak 78
Nov 4: AQI 55 (peak 78)Nov 5: AQI 58 (peak 68)Nov 6: AQI 57 (peak 74)Nov 7: AQI 47 (peak 57)Nov 8: AQI 48 (peak 56)Nov 9: AQI 47 (peak 59)Nov 10: AQI 41 (peak 42)
Nov 4Nov 10

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

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Irvine: Below target

27.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.47 km²) of land.

2 points below target

Trees in this area

86,638

Target trees

93,494

More trees needed

6,856

CO₂ if planted / yr

150.8 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Irvine lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Irvine has lost about 152 acres (62 hectares) of forest (about 110 football fields): 8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.

Satellite image of the area around Irvine, June 2017

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

Forest lost since 2001
152 acres (62 ha)about 110 football fields
Share of its forest
8%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
141 acres (57 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2004, when about 42 acres (17 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Irvine, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Irvine, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.42.3

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Irvine, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2002under 1 haunder 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
20039 acres (4 ha)under 1 ha9 acres (4 ha)
200442 acres (17 ha)under 1 ha42 acres (17 ha)
200516 acres (6 ha)under 1 ha16 acres (6 ha)
20065 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha5 acres (2 ha)
2007under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20089 acres (4 ha)under 1 ha10 acres (4 ha)
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20103 acres (1 ha)under 1 ha4 acres (2 ha)
20119 acres (4 ha)under 1 ha10 acres (4 ha)
20125 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha7 acres (3 ha)
2013under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2014under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
201615 acres (6 ha)under 1 ha15 acres (6 ha)
2017under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2018under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2019under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20205 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha5 acres (2 ha)
2021under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
202215 acres (6 ha)under 1 ha15 acres (6 ha)
2023under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2024under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20253 acres (1 ha)under 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)

What is causing deforestation around Irvine?

  • Towns and roadscleared for good92% · 140 acres (57 ha)
  • Wildfirescan grow back1.1% · under 1 ha
  • Unknown causescause unknown5.7% · 9 acres (4 ha)

Also: farms, pasture and plantations.

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
9,910 acres (4,010 ha)
Forest in 2020
12,200 acres (4,930 ha)
Overall change
+2,270 acres (919 ha)more forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Irvine grew from about 9,910 acres (4,010 hectares) to 12,200 acres (4,930 hectares), a net gain of about 2,270 acres (919 hectares) (+23%). New forest grew on about 2,360 acres (957 hectares), while 94 acres (38 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 Irvine

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

  • Huntington Beach

    United States

    16.3 km
    Tree cover
    9%
    Air quality
    66
  • Anaheim

    United States

    20.3 km
    Tree cover
    11%
    Air quality
    57
  • Corona

    United States

    33.0 km
    Tree cover
    9%
    Air quality
    59
  • Long Beach

    United States

    35.6 km
    Tree cover
    6%
    Air quality
    75
  • Downey

    United States

    41.5 km
    Tree cover
    11%
    Air quality
    55
  • Pomona

    United States

    43.4 km
    Tree cover
    13%
    Air quality
    49

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

Questions about Irvine

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

The latest reading for Irvine shows an AQI of 24 (Good), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by 5 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Westpark, 1.1 mi (1.8 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Irvine today?

At AQI 24 (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 Irvine been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Irvine's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 41 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

How much forest has the area around Irvine lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Irvine has lost about 152 acres (62 hectares) of forest (about 110 football fields): 8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Irvine grew from about 9,910 acres (4,010 hectares) to 12,200 acres (4,930 hectares), a net gain of about 2,270 acres (919 hectares) (+23%). New forest grew on about 2,360 acres (957 hectares), while 94 acres (38 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Irvine?

Irvine has an estimated 86,638 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.47 km²) of land measured — 27.8% tree cover, 2 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Irvine need?

Irvine needs roughly 6,856 more trees to close a 2-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 150.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Irvine's air quality and tree cover measured?

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

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