City report · Yunnan, China
Lijiang Air quality today
Air quality in Lijiang currently reads AQI 80 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 80
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 24.9
- tree cover
- 10.9%
- trees in this area
- 34.2K
- more trees needed
- 60.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Gucheng District, Lijiang, Yunnan, China (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Lijiang · AQI 80 (Moderate)
Lijiang's tree count comes to 34,243 trees across 12.57 km², 19 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 60,004 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Lijiang today: AQI 80, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 23:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Lijiang (丽江), 1.7 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
24.9
PM10
29.2
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Yunnan Environmental Protection Agency (云南省环境保护厅)
- 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 Lijiang's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 6 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 58 on Nov 6.
Where Lijiang stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Lijiang: Critically low
10.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
34,243
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
60,004
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,320 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Lijiang lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lijiang has lost about 388 hectares of forest (about 540 football pitches): 4.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 388 haabout 540 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 231 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2023, when about 85 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 8 ha | 10 ha |
| 2005 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | 17 ha | 19 ha |
| 2012 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2014 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2015 | 3 ha | 6 ha | 9 ha |
| 2016 | 26 ha | 37 ha | 62 ha |
| 2017 | 12 ha | 9 ha | 21 ha |
| 2018 | 4 ha | 7 ha | 11 ha |
| 2019 | 12 ha | 2 ha | 14 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2023 | 67 ha | 18 ha | 85 ha |
| 2024 | 56 ha | 20 ha | 76 ha |
| 2025 | 22 ha | 15 ha | 37 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Lijiang?
- Towns and roadscleared for good34% · 131 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good24% · 93 ha
- Loggingcan grow back22% · 87 ha
Also: wildfires, farms, pasture and plantations, 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
- 12,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 12,900 ha
- Overall change
- +869 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lijiang grew from about 12,000 hectares to 12,900 hectares, a net gain of about 869 hectares (+7.2%). New forest grew on about 1,130 hectares, while 259 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 Lijiang
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Shangri-La117.8 km
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- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
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- Dali142.8 km
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- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 17
- Panzhihua151.5 km
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- 54%
- Air quality
- 97
- Xiangcheng159.6 km
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- Air quality
- 107
- Lushui178.7 km
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- Tree cover
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- Air quality
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- Baoshan, Yunnan221.7 km
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- Tree cover
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- Air quality
- 17
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Frequently asked
Questions about Lijiang
What is the air quality (AQI) in Lijiang right now?
The latest reading for Lijiang shows an AQI of 80 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 23:00 local time by the Lijiang (丽江) ground monitoring station, 1.7 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Lijiang today?
At AQI 80 (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 Lijiang been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lijiang's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 6 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 58 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Lijiang lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lijiang has lost about 388 hectares of forest (about 540 football pitches): 4.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lijiang grew from about 12,000 hectares to 12,900 hectares, a net gain of about 869 hectares (+7.2%). New forest grew on about 1,130 hectares, while 259 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Lijiang?
Lijiang has an estimated 34,243 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 10.9% tree cover, 19 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Lijiang need?
Lijiang needs roughly 60,004 more trees to close a 19-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,320 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Lijiang's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Gucheng District, 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 2 km radius around Gucheng District; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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