City report · Georgia, United States
Sandy Springs Air quality today
Air quality in Sandy Springs currently reads AQI 73 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 73
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.9
- tree cover
- 61.2%
- trees in this area
- 192K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Sandy Springs, GA, 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.
Sandy Springs · AQI 73 (Moderate)
Sandy Springs's tree count comes to 192,265 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Sandy Springs today: AQI 73, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Clack’s Corner, 5.3 mi (8.6 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.9
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Happy
- 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 Sandy Springs's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 29 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 83 on Nov 5.
Where Sandy Springs stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Sandy Springs: Healthy tree cover
61.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
192,265
Target trees
192,265
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Sandy Springs lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sandy Springs has lost about 3,080 acres (1,250 hectares) of forest (about 2,300 football fields): 6.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km southwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3,080 acres (1,250 ha)about 2,300 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 6.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3,010 acres (1,220 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 77 acres (31 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 194 acres (79 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 373 acres (151 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 | 130 acres (53 ha) | under 1 ha | 130 acres (53 ha) |
| 2002 | 58 acres (23 ha) | under 1 ha | 58 acres (23 ha) |
| 2003 | 59 acres (24 ha) | under 1 ha | 59 acres (24 ha) |
| 2004 | 219 acres (89 ha) | under 1 ha | 219 acres (89 ha) |
| 2005 | 119 acres (48 ha) | under 1 ha | 119 acres (48 ha) |
| 2006 | 262 acres (106 ha) | under 1 ha | 262 acres (106 ha) |
| 2007 | 124 acres (50 ha) | under 1 ha | 124 acres (50 ha) |
| 2008 | 138 acres (56 ha) | under 1 ha | 139 acres (56 ha) |
| 2009 | 41 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 43 acres (17 ha) |
| 2010 | 71 acres (29 ha) | under 1 ha | 71 acres (29 ha) |
| 2011 | 42 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2012 | 47 acres (19 ha) | under 1 ha | 48 acres (19 ha) |
| 2013 | 54 acres (22 ha) | under 1 ha | 54 acres (22 ha) |
| 2014 | 167 acres (68 ha) | under 1 ha | 167 acres (68 ha) |
| 2015 | 187 acres (76 ha) | under 1 ha | 188 acres (76 ha) |
| 2016 | 264 acres (107 ha) | under 1 ha | 264 acres (107 ha) |
| 2017 | 351 acres (142 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) | 373 acres (151 ha) |
| 2018 | 146 acres (59 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) | 186 acres (75 ha) |
| 2019 | 98 acres (40 ha) | under 1 ha | 98 acres (40 ha) |
| 2020 | 48 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 48 acres (20 ha) |
| 2021 | 72 acres (29 ha) | under 1 ha | 72 acres (29 ha) |
| 2022 | 126 acres (51 ha) | under 1 ha | 126 acres (51 ha) |
| 2023 | 59 acres (24 ha) | under 1 ha | 59 acres (24 ha) |
| 2024 | 50 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 51 acres (21 ha) |
| 2025 | 76 acres (31 ha) | under 1 ha | 78 acres (31 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Sandy Springs?
- Towns and roadscleared for good98% · 3,010 acres (1,220 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back2% · 60 acres (24 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
- 60,300 acres (24,400 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 60,100 acres (24,300 ha)
- Overall change
- −168 acres (68 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sandy Springs stayed about the same size, at about 60,100 acres (24,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,010 acres (409 hectares), and about 1,180 acres (476 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 Sandy Springs
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Atlanta19.5 km
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- Air quality
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- Athens92.4 km
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- Air quality
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- Chattanooga151.1 km
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- Air quality
- 53
- Columbus172.3 km
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- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
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- Huntsville221.6 km
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- Tree cover
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- Air quality
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Frequently asked
Questions about Sandy Springs
What is the air quality (AQI) in Sandy Springs right now?
The latest reading for Sandy Springs shows an AQI of 73 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by the Clack’s Corner ground monitoring station, 5.3 mi (8.6 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 Sandy Springs today?
At AQI 73 (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 Sandy Springs been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Sandy Springs's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 29 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 83 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Sandy Springs lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sandy Springs has lost about 3,080 acres (1,250 hectares) of forest (about 2,300 football fields): 6.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (98%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss is slowing down: about 77 acres (31 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 194 acres (79 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sandy Springs stayed about the same size, at about 60,100 acres (24,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,010 acres (409 hectares), and about 1,180 acres (476 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Sandy Springs?
Sandy Springs has an estimated 192,265 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 61.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Sandy Springs need?
Sandy Springs has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Sandy Springs's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Sandy Springs, 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 Sandy Springs; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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