City report · California, United States
Salinas Air quality today
Air quality in Salinas currently reads AQI 23 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 23
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 4.0
- tree cover
- 5.4%
- trees in this area
- 17.0K
- more trees needed
- 77.3K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Salinas, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Salinas · AQI 23 (Good)
Salinas's tree count comes to 16,965 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 25 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 77,283 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Salinas today: AQI 23, Good
Main pollutant: Ozone · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Salinas AMS, 2.1 mi (3.4 km) away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
4.0
PM10
—
NO₂
11.3
O₃
51.0
SO₂
—
CO
0.0
Data: OpenAQ · AirNow
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Salinas's daily AQI at 54 on average, from 39 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 6.
Where Salinas stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Salinas: Critically low
5.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
16,965
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
77,283
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,700 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Salinas lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Salinas has lost about 828 acres (335 hectares) of forest (about 630 football fields): 8.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 172 acres (70 hectares) (21%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 828 acres (335 ha)about 630 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 8.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 172 acres (70 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2020, when about 294 acres (119 hectares) of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Acres 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | 3 acres (1 ha) | 46 acres (19 ha) | 49 acres (20 ha) |
| 2004 | 15 acres (6 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2005 | 7 acres (3 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2007 | 27 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 28 acres (12 ha) |
| 2008 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2009 | 3 acres (1 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2010 | 16 acres (7 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2011 | 4 acres (2 ha) | 51 acres (21 ha) | 55 acres (22 ha) |
| 2012 | 8 acres (3 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| 2013 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2014 | 19 acres (8 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| 2015 | 7 acres (3 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 8 acres (3 ha) | 24 acres (10 ha) | 31 acres (13 ha) |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 77 acres (31 ha) | 77 acres (31 ha) |
| 2019 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (7 ha) |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 294 acres (119 ha) | 294 acres (119 ha) |
| 2021 | 4 acres (2 ha) | 67 acres (27 ha) | 71 acres (29 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Salinas?
- Wildfirescan grow back50% · 418 acres (169 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back26% · 213 acres (86 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good16% · 136 acres (55 ha)
Also: towns and roads, 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
- 8,020 acres (3,250 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 8,020 acres (3,250 ha)
- Overall change
- −2 acres (1 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Salinas stayed about the same size, at about 8,020 acres (3,250 hectares): new forest grew on about 324 acres (131 hectares), and about 329 acres (133 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 Salinas
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- San Jose76.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 55
- Sunnyvale84.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 21
- Fremont101.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 29
- San Mateo115.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 37
- Hayward116.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 29
- Modesto121.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 77
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Frequently asked
Questions about Salinas
What is the air quality (AQI) in Salinas right now?
The latest reading for Salinas shows an AQI of 23 (Good), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by the Salinas AMS ground monitoring station, 2.1 mi (3.4 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is Ozone. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Salinas today?
At AQI 23 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Salinas been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Salinas's daily AQI at 54 on average, from 39 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Salinas lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Salinas has lost about 828 acres (335 hectares) of forest (about 630 football fields): 8.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 172 acres (70 hectares) (21%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Salinas stayed about the same size, at about 8,020 acres (3,250 hectares): new forest grew on about 324 acres (131 hectares), and about 329 acres (133 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Salinas?
Salinas has an estimated 16,965 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 5.4% tree cover, 25 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Salinas need?
Salinas needs roughly 77,283 more trees to close a 25-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,700 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Salinas's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Salinas, 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 Salinas; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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