- Tree cover
- 48.6%
- Air quality
- 108Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- Trees in this area
- 153K
- More trees needed
- 0
- Area analyzed
- 12.56 km²land, in a 12.57 km² circle
- Satellite image
- Sep 15, 2026
Leuven's tree count comes to 152,529 trees across 12.56 km² of land — already at or above the 35% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area. Air quality currently reads AQI 108 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Leuven: Healthy tree cover
48.6% tree cover against a 35% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
152,529
Target trees
152,529
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Air quality detail
Air quality in Leuven today: AQI 108, Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Observed Oct 20, 00:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Groene Longen_Oud-Heverleestraat, 5.9 km away
Health signal
Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
PM2.5
38.4
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Nationaal Park Brabantse Wouden
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Leuven lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Leuven has lost about 432 hectares of forest (about 600 football pitches): 5.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 28 hectares (6.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km south of the city centre.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 432 haabout 600 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 28 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2010, when about 86 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 | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | 56 ha | 58 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 13 ha | 14 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | 17 ha | 17 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 11 ha |
| 2007 | 1 ha | 8 ha | 9 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2009 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 7 ha |
| 2010 | 3 ha | 83 ha | 86 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | 11 ha | 14 ha |
| 2012 | 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 8 ha | 8 ha |
| 2017 | 1 ha | 7 ha | 8 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 13 ha | 13 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | 39 ha | 42 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | 20 ha | 22 ha |
| 2021 | 1 ha | 24 ha | 25 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | 14 ha | 15 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 13 ha | 14 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 29 ha | 29 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 15 ha | 16 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Leuven?
- Loggingcan grow back90% · 387 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good5.2% · 22 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good1.3% · 6 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
- 11,700 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,800 ha
- Overall change
- +120 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Leuven stayed about the same size, at about 11,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 383 hectares, and about 263 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 centre, 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 Leuven
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Antwerp43.3 km
Belgium
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 67
- Namur47.4 km
Belgium
- Tree cover
- 54%
- Air quality
- 70
- Charleroi55.1 km
Belgium
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 64
- Liège66.8 km
Belgium
- Tree cover
- 47%
- Air quality
- 66
- Maastricht69.4 km
The Netherlands
- Tree cover
- 55%
- Air quality
- 81
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Frequently asked
Questions about Leuven
What is the tree count in Leuven?
Leuven has an estimated 152,529 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 48.6% tree cover, already past the 35% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Leuven need?
Leuven has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
What is the air quality (AQI) in Leuven right now?
The latest reading for Leuven shows an AQI of 108 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups), measured Oct 20, 00:00 local time by the Groene Longen_Oud-Heverleestraat ground monitoring station, 5.9 km away, via OpenAQ. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
How much forest has the area around Leuven lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Leuven has lost about 432 hectares of forest (about 600 football pitches): 5.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 28 hectares (6.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Leuven stayed about the same size, at about 11,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 383 hectares, and about 263 hectares were lost.
How is Leuven's tree cover and air quality measured?
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 3000 Leuven; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover. Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near 3000 Leuven, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate.
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