City report · England, United Kingdom
Preston Air quality today
Air quality in Preston currently reads AQI 57 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 57
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 12.1
- tree cover
- 26.9%
- trees in this area
- 82.3K
- more trees needed
- 9.5K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Preston, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Preston · AQI 57 (Moderate)
Preston's tree count comes to 82,312 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.24 km²) of land, 3 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 9,486 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Preston today: AQI 57, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · THORNTON-CLEVELEYS, 15.3 mi (24.6 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
12.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Tim Schofield
- 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 Preston's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 19 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 102 on Nov 8.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index
Where Preston stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Preston: Below target
26.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.24 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
82,312
Target trees
91,798
More trees needed
9,486
CO₂ if planted / yr
208.7 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Preston lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Preston has lost about 12 hectares of forest (about 17 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (16%). About 3 hectares (27%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 12 haabout 17 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2002, when about 2 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 | 2 ha | 2 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 | 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 | 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Preston?
- Towns and roadscleared for good16% · 2 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good12% · 2 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back2.4% · under 1 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
- 1,550 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,680 ha
- Overall change
- +124 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Preston grew from about 1,550 hectares to 1,680 hectares, a net gain of about 124 hectares (+8%). New forest grew on about 192 hectares, while 67 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 Preston
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Blackburn14.6 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 62
- Blackpool23.5 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 57
- Wigan24.8 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 54
- Bolton26.8 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 33
- Burnley31.2 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 69
- St Helens34.8 km
United Kingdom
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 54
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Frequently asked
Questions about Preston
What is the air quality (AQI) in Preston right now?
The latest reading for Preston shows an AQI of 57 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by the THORNTON-CLEVELEYS ground monitoring station, 15.3 mi (24.6 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 Preston 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 Preston been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Preston's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 19 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 102 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Preston'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 Preston lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Preston has lost about 12 hectares of forest (about 17 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was towns and roads (16%). About 3 hectares (27%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Preston grew from about 1,550 hectares to 1,680 hectares, a net gain of about 124 hectares (+8%). New forest grew on about 192 hectares, while 67 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Preston?
Preston has an estimated 82,312 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.24 km²) of land measured — 26.9% tree cover, 3 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Preston need?
Preston needs roughly 9,486 more trees to close a 3-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 208.7 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Preston's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Preston, 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 Preston; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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