City report · England, United Kingdom
Oldham Air quality today
Air quality in Oldham currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 53
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.0
- tree cover
- 23.0%
- trees in this area
- 72.3K
- more trees needed
- 22.0K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Oldham, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Oldham · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Oldham's tree count comes to 72,257 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 7 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 21,991 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Oldham today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Salford Eccles, 9.7 mi (15.6 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.0
PM10
14.0
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · DEFRA
- 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 Oldham's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 22 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 101 on Nov 7.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Oldham stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Oldham: Below target
23.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
72,257
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
21,991
CO₂ if planted / yr
483.8 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Oldham lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Oldham has lost about 129 hectares of forest (about 180 football pitches): 3.5% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (36%), after which forest can grow back. About 43 hectares (33%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 129 haabout 180 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 43 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2005, when about 51 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 | 1 ha | 8 ha | 9 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | 6 ha | 8 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2005 | 27 ha | 24 ha | 51 ha |
| 2006 | 2 ha | 5 ha | 7 ha |
| 2007 | 1 ha | 8 ha | 9 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2009 | 4 ha | 7 ha | 11 ha |
| 2010 | 3 ha | 7 ha | 10 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Oldham?
- Loggingcan grow back36% · 46 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good24% · 32 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back17% · 23 ha
Also: towns and roads, mining and energy, 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
- 2,800 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 3,260 ha
- Overall change
- +465 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Oldham grew from about 2,800 hectares to 3,260 hectares, a net gain of about 465 hectares (+17%). New forest grew on about 541 hectares, while 76 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 Oldham
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Stockport14.8 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 21
- Bolton21.3 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 38
- Huddersfield25.1 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 29
- Burnley29.8 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 67
- Blackburn33.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 63
- Wigan34.3 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 25
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Frequently asked
Questions about Oldham
What is the air quality (AQI) in Oldham right now?
The latest reading for Oldham shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by the Salford Eccles ground monitoring station, 9.7 mi (15.6 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 Oldham today?
At AQI 53 (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 Oldham been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Oldham's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 22 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 101 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Oldham's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.
How much forest has the area around Oldham lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Oldham has lost about 129 hectares of forest (about 180 football pitches): 3.5% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (36%), after which forest can grow back. About 43 hectares (33%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Oldham grew from about 2,800 hectares to 3,260 hectares, a net gain of about 465 hectares (+17%). New forest grew on about 541 hectares, while 76 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Oldham?
Oldham has an estimated 72,257 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 23.0% tree cover, 7 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Oldham need?
Oldham needs roughly 21,991 more trees to close a 7-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 483.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Oldham's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Oldham, 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 Oldham; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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