City report · Oregon, United States
Salem Air quality today
Air quality in Salem currently reads AQI 51 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 51
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 9.1
- tree cover
- 42.2%
- trees in this area
- 126K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Central Area, Salem, OR, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 8, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Salem · AQI 51 (Moderate)
Salem's tree count comes to 125,549 trees across 4.6 sq mi (11.9 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Salem today: AQI 51, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 06:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Salem - State Hospit, 1.4 mi (2.3 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
9.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
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 Salem's daily AQI at 33 on average, from 7 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 74 on Nov 9.
Where Salem stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Salem: Healthy tree cover
42.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.6 sq mi (11.9 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
125,549
Target trees
125,549
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Salem lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Salem has lost about 1,960 acres (795 hectares) of forest (about 1,500 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (79%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,960 acres (795 ha)about 1,500 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,560 acres (632 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2006, when about 257 acres (104 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 | 18 acres (7 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 24 acres (10 ha) |
| 2002 | 39 acres (16 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 46 acres (19 ha) |
| 2003 | 41 acres (17 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) | 54 acres (22 ha) |
| 2004 | 60 acres (24 ha) | 48 acres (20 ha) | 108 acres (44 ha) |
| 2005 | 52 acres (21 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 59 acres (24 ha) |
| 2006 | 211 acres (85 ha) | 46 acres (19 ha) | 257 acres (104 ha) |
| 2007 | 52 acres (21 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| 2008 | 62 acres (25 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 68 acres (28 ha) |
| 2009 | 32 acres (13 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 36 acres (14 ha) |
| 2010 | 7 acres (3 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2011 | 15 acres (6 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2012 | 17 acres (7 ha) | 32 acres (13 ha) | 48 acres (20 ha) |
| 2013 | 43 acres (17 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 46 acres (19 ha) |
| 2014 | 40 acres (16 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 44 acres (18 ha) |
| 2015 | 32 acres (13 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| 2016 | 98 acres (40 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) | 122 acres (49 ha) |
| 2017 | 89 acres (36 ha) | 58 acres (24 ha) | 147 acres (60 ha) |
| 2018 | 93 acres (38 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) | 107 acres (43 ha) |
| 2019 | 68 acres (28 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 73 acres (30 ha) |
| 2020 | 90 acres (36 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 94 acres (38 ha) |
| 2021 | 150 acres (61 ha) | 26 acres (11 ha) | 176 acres (71 ha) |
| 2022 | 87 acres (35 ha) | 34 acres (14 ha) | 121 acres (49 ha) |
| 2023 | 37 acres (15 ha) | 11 acres (5 ha) | 48 acres (19 ha) |
| 2024 | 68 acres (28 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 71 acres (29 ha) |
| 2025 | 60 acres (24 ha) | 18 acres (7 ha) | 78 acres (32 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Salem?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good47% · 917 acres (371 ha)
- Towns and roadscleared for good33% · 645 acres (261 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back18% · 356 acres (144 ha)
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
- 28,800 acres (11,700 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 29,100 acres (11,800 ha)
- Overall change
- +326 acres (132 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Salem stayed about the same size, at about 29,100 acres (11,800 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,630 acres (660 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 Salem
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Hillsboro64.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 43
- Portland70.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 44
- Gresham77.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 9
- Vancouver82.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 48
- Eugene99.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
- 64
- Tacoma260.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 38
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Frequently asked
Questions about Salem
What is the air quality (AQI) in Salem right now?
The latest reading for Salem shows an AQI of 51 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 06:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Salem - State Hospit, 1.4 mi (2.3 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Salem today?
At AQI 51 (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 Salem been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Salem's daily AQI at 33 on average, from 7 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 74 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 Salem lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Salem has lost about 1,960 acres (795 hectares) of forest (about 1,500 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (79%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Salem stayed about the same size, at about 29,100 acres (11,800 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,630 acres (660 hectares), and about 1,300 acres (527 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Salem?
Salem has an estimated 125,549 trees across the 4.6 sq mi (11.9 km²) of land measured — 42.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Salem need?
Salem has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Salem's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Central Area, 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 Central Area; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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