City report · Nebraska, United States
Lincoln Air quality today
Air quality in Lincoln currently reads AQI 19 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 19
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 2.7
- tree cover
- 60.4%
- trees in this area
- 190K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around 40th&A, Lincoln, NE, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 10, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Lincoln · AQI 19 (Good)
Lincoln's tree count comes to 189,752 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 Lincoln today: AQI 19, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 00:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
2.7
PM10
2.8
NO₂
8.7
O₃
32.0
SO₂
0.9
CO
147.0
- 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 Lincoln's daily AQI at 21 on average, from 11 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 69 on Nov 6.
Where Lincoln stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Lincoln: Healthy tree cover
60.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
189,752
Target trees
189,752
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Lincoln lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lincoln has lost about 61 acres (25 hectares) of forest (about 46 football fields): 1.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (68%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 61 acres (25 ha)about 46 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 1.9%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 41 acres (17 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2014, when about 9 acres (4 hectares) of forest were lost.
Acres 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2014 | 3 acres (1 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2018 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2022 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2023 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Lincoln?
- Towns and roadscleared for good54% · 33 acres (13 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good13% · 8 acres (3 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back7.3% · 4 acres (2 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
- 10,800 acres (4,380 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 13,600 acres (5,490 ha)
- Overall change
- +2,760 acres (1,120 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lincoln grew from about 10,800 acres (4,380 hectares) to 13,600 acres (5,490 hectares), a net gain of about 2,760 acres (1,120 hectares) (+25%). New forest grew on about 2,870 acres (1,160 hectares), while 118 acres (48 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 Lincoln
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Omaha79.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 32
- Topeka212.3 km
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- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 8
- Kansas City259.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 21
- Overland Park264.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 70%
- Air quality
- 13
- Olathe265.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 26
- Independence270.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 56%
- Air quality
- 21
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Frequently asked
Questions about Lincoln
What is the air quality (AQI) in Lincoln right now?
The latest reading for Lincoln shows an AQI of 19 (Good), observed Nov 11, 00:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Lincoln today?
At AQI 19 (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 Lincoln been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lincoln's daily AQI at 21 on average, from 11 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 69 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 Lincoln lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lincoln has lost about 61 acres (25 hectares) of forest (about 46 football fields): 1.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (68%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lincoln grew from about 10,800 acres (4,380 hectares) to 13,600 acres (5,490 hectares), a net gain of about 2,760 acres (1,120 hectares) (+25%). New forest grew on about 2,870 acres (1,160 hectares), while 118 acres (48 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Lincoln?
Lincoln has an estimated 189,752 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 60.4% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Lincoln need?
Lincoln has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Lincoln'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 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around 40th&A; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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