City report · Texas, United States
Mesquite Air quality today
Air quality in Mesquite currently reads AQI 57 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 57
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 12.3
- tree cover
- 28.3%
- trees in this area
- 88.9K
- more trees needed
- 5.3K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Original Town Mesquite, Mesquite, TX 75149, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Mesquite · AQI 57 (Moderate)
Mesquite's tree count comes to 88,907 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 2 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 5,341 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Mesquite today: AQI 57, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Dallas Bexar Street, 9.1 mi (14.6 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
12.3
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
7.8
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirNow
- 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 Mesquite's daily AQI at 41 on average, from 17 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 95 on Nov 9.
Where Mesquite stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Mesquite: Below target
28.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
88,907
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
5,341
CO₂ if planted / yr
117.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mesquite lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mesquite has lost about 778 acres (315 hectares) of forest (about 590 football fields): 7.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 778 acres (315 ha)about 590 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 7.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 733 acres (297 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2022, when about 84 acres (34 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 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 26 acres (10 ha) |
| 2002 | 65 acres (26 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 69 acres (28 ha) |
| 2003 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2004 | 36 acres (15 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| 2005 | 50 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 52 acres (21 ha) |
| 2006 | 46 acres (19 ha) | under 1 ha | 48 acres (19 ha) |
| 2007 | 14 acres (6 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2008 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2009 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (5 ha) |
| 2010 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2011 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2012 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2013 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2014 | 26 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2015 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2016 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2017 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2018 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2019 | 43 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 43 acres (17 ha) |
| 2020 | 56 acres (23 ha) | under 1 ha | 57 acres (23 ha) |
| 2021 | 63 acres (26 ha) | under 1 ha | 63 acres (26 ha) |
| 2022 | 84 acres (34 ha) | under 1 ha | 84 acres (34 ha) |
| 2023 | 33 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 34 acres (14 ha) |
| 2024 | 69 acres (28 ha) | under 1 ha | 69 acres (28 ha) |
| 2025 | 35 acres (14 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) | 47 acres (19 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Mesquite?
- Towns and roadscleared for good86% · 670 acres (271 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.9% · 62 acres (25 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown5.6% · 43 acres (18 ha)
Also: logging.
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
- 15,300 acres (6,190 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 15,800 acres (6,400 ha)
- Overall change
- +529 acres (214 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mesquite grew from about 15,300 acres (6,190 hectares) to 15,800 acres (6,400 hectares), a net gain of about 529 acres (214 hectares) (+3.5%). New forest grew on about 904 acres (366 hectares), while 373 acres (151 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 Mesquite
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Garland16.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 74
- Dallas19.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 57
- Richardson23.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 57
- Plano29.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 42
- Irving33.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 57
- Carrollton34.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 74
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Frequently asked
Questions about Mesquite
What is the air quality (AQI) in Mesquite right now?
The latest reading for Mesquite shows an AQI of 57 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Dallas Bexar Street, 9.1 mi (14.6 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Mesquite today?
At AQI 57 (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 Mesquite been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mesquite's daily AQI at 41 on average, from 17 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 95 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Mesquite lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mesquite has lost about 778 acres (315 hectares) of forest (about 590 football fields): 7.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mesquite grew from about 15,300 acres (6,190 hectares) to 15,800 acres (6,400 hectares), a net gain of about 529 acres (214 hectares) (+3.5%). New forest grew on about 904 acres (366 hectares), while 373 acres (151 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Mesquite?
Mesquite has an estimated 88,907 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 28.3% tree cover, 2 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Mesquite need?
Mesquite needs roughly 5,341 more trees to close a 2-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 117.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Mesquite's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Original Town Mesquite, 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 Original Town Mesquite; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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