South Africa · Free State · 6 cities
Air quality in Free State today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Kroonstad has the cleanest air of the 6 cities we track in Free State (AQI 25, Good), and Sasolburg the worst (AQI 133, Unhealthy for sensitive groups). Kroonstad has the most tree cover, at 33.4% — #11 of 66 cities measured in South Africa.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
AQI 53
Average right now
Moderate
- cities tracked
- 6
- average tree cover
- 25.1%
- South Africa: 21.8%
- worst air now: Sasolburg
- 133
- cleanest air now: Kroonstad
- 25
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Free State · average AQI 53
Air quality today across Free State, city by city
| Bloemfontein | 39Good | 17.5% | 39.2K | #40 of 66 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welkom | 28Good | 28.5% | 4.7K | #23 of 66 |
| Botshabelo | 31Good | 6.1% | 75.1K | #57 of 66 |
| Sasolburg | 133Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 31.9% | 9.7K | #15 of 66 |
| Virginia | 63Moderate | 32.9% | — | #13 of 66 |
| Kroonstad | 25Good | 33.4% | — | #11 of 66 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in South Africa.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Free State lost?
Since 2001, Free State has lost about 2,740 hectares of forest (about 3,800 football pitches): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (48%). About 1,330 hectares (49%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,740 haabout 3,800 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 19%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,330 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 383 ha | 187 ha | 570 ha |
| 2002 | 64 ha | 17 ha | 81 ha |
| 2003 | 65 ha | 115 ha | 180 ha |
| 2004 | 46 ha | 126 ha | 172 ha |
| 2005 | 60 ha | 69 ha | 129 ha |
| 2006 | 28 ha | 43 ha | 71 ha |
| 2007 | 125 ha | 46 ha | 171 ha |
| 2008 | 75 ha | 52 ha | 127 ha |
| 2009 | 63 ha | 32 ha | 95 ha |
| 2010 | 27 ha | 25 ha | 52 ha |
| 2011 | 35 ha | 44 ha | 80 ha |
| 2012 | 86 ha | 53 ha | 139 ha |
| 2013 | 39 ha | 50 ha | 88 ha |
| 2014 | 61 ha | 59 ha | 120 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2016 | 39 ha | 46 ha | 86 ha |
| 2017 | 26 ha | 28 ha | 54 ha |
| 2018 | 19 ha | 13 ha | 32 ha |
| 2019 | 18 ha | 228 ha | 246 ha |
| 2020 | 20 ha | 70 ha | 90 ha |
| 2021 | 18 ha | 29 ha | 47 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | 13 ha | 18 ha |
| 2023 | 11 ha | 20 ha | 31 ha |
| 2024 | 8 ha | 14 ha | 21 ha |
| 2025 | 8 ha | 23 ha | 31 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 30 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 102 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2001, when about 570 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Free State?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good48% · 1,300 ha
- Loggingcan grow back28% · 765 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back12% · 327 ha
Also: mining and energy, towns and roads, wildfires, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
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