City report · Virginia, United States
Richmond Air quality today
Air quality in Richmond currently reads AQI 66 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 66
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 17.2
- tree cover
- 23.1%
- trees in this area
- 72.4K
- more trees needed
- 21.6K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around The Fan District, Richmond, VA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Richmond · AQI 66 (Moderate)
Richmond's tree count comes to 72,353 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.53 km²) of land, 7 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 21,612 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Richmond today: AQI 66, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Richmond City Near R, 2.6 mi (4.2 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
17.2
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
2.6
CO
916.5
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 Richmond's daily AQI at 31 on average, from 17 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 66 on Nov 4.
Where Richmond stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Richmond: Below target
23.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.53 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
72,353
Target trees
93,965
More trees needed
21,612
CO₂ if planted / yr
475.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Richmond lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Richmond has lost about 1,850 acres (749 hectares) of forest (about 1,400 football fields): 5.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) 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 north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,850 acres (749 ha)about 1,400 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 5.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,710 acres (692 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2002, when about 224 acres (91 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 | 46 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 47 acres (19 ha) |
| 2002 | 171 acres (69 ha) | 54 acres (22 ha) | 224 acres (91 ha) |
| 2003 | 55 acres (22 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 58 acres (24 ha) |
| 2004 | 88 acres (36 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 91 acres (37 ha) |
| 2005 | 164 acres (67 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 167 acres (68 ha) |
| 2006 | 140 acres (57 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 145 acres (59 ha) |
| 2007 | 100 acres (40 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 103 acres (42 ha) |
| 2008 | 45 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 46 acres (19 ha) |
| 2009 | 37 acres (15 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 41 acres (17 ha) |
| 2010 | 74 acres (30 ha) | under 1 ha | 76 acres (31 ha) |
| 2011 | 29 acres (12 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2012 | 43 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 44 acres (18 ha) |
| 2013 | 16 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2014 | 29 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 31 acres (13 ha) |
| 2015 | 45 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 45 acres (18 ha) |
| 2016 | 67 acres (27 ha) | under 1 ha | 68 acres (27 ha) |
| 2017 | 80 acres (32 ha) | under 1 ha | 81 acres (33 ha) |
| 2018 | 53 acres (22 ha) | under 1 ha | 54 acres (22 ha) |
| 2019 | 78 acres (32 ha) | under 1 ha | 79 acres (32 ha) |
| 2020 | 45 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 46 acres (18 ha) |
| 2021 | 75 acres (30 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 78 acres (31 ha) |
| 2022 | 62 acres (25 ha) | under 1 ha | 63 acres (25 ha) |
| 2023 | 61 acres (25 ha) | under 1 ha | 61 acres (25 ha) |
| 2024 | 65 acres (26 ha) | under 1 ha | 66 acres (27 ha) |
| 2025 | 44 acres (18 ha) | 46 acres (18 ha) | 90 acres (36 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Richmond?
- Towns and roadscleared for good90% · 1,670 acres (674 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back4.7% · 87 acres (35 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good2.4% · 44 acres (18 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
- 43,100 acres (17,400 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 43,300 acres (17,500 ha)
- Overall change
- +161 acres (65 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Richmond stayed about the same size, at about 43,300 acres (17,500 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,460 acres (592 hectares), and about 1,300 acres (527 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 Richmond
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Newport News111.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 32
- East Hampton115.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 50%
- Air quality
- 28
- Norfolk130.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 53
- Alexandria143.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 64
- Virginia Beach152.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 16
- Washington153.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 75
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Frequently asked
Questions about Richmond
What is the air quality (AQI) in Richmond right now?
The latest reading for Richmond shows an AQI of 66 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Richmond City Near R, 2.6 mi (4.2 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Richmond today?
At AQI 66 (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 Richmond been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Richmond's daily AQI at 31 on average, from 17 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 66 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Richmond lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Richmond has lost about 1,850 acres (749 hectares) of forest (about 1,400 football fields): 5.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Richmond stayed about the same size, at about 43,300 acres (17,500 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,460 acres (592 hectares), and about 1,300 acres (527 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Richmond?
Richmond has an estimated 72,353 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.53 km²) of land measured — 23.1% tree cover, 7 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Richmond need?
Richmond needs roughly 21,612 more trees to close a 7-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 475.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Richmond's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near The Fan District, 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 The Fan District; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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