United States · Alabama · 5 places
Air quality in Alabama today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Tuscaloosa has the cleanest air of the 5 Alabama cities we track (AQI 26, Good), and Montgomery the worst (AQI 152, Unhealthy). Montgomery has the most tree cover, at 44.2% — #23 of 278 large US cities.
Every place is measured the same way, over the same 1.2 mi (2 km) around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
Average right now
AQI 74
Moderate
- places tracked
- 5
- average tree cover
- 32.8%
- US cities: 25.1%
- worst air now: Montgomery
- 152
- cleanest air now: Tuscaloosa
- 26
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Alabama · average AQI 74
Air quality today across Alabama, city by city
| Huntsville | 59Moderate | 34.9% | — | #63 of 278 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 74Moderate | 14.5% | 48.7K | #195 of 278 |
| Montgomery | 152Unhealthy | 44.2% | — | #23 of 278 |
| Mobile | 60Moderate | 30.9% | — | #87 of 278 |
| Tuscaloosa | 26Good | 39.6% | — | #39 of 278 |
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 1.2 mi (2 km) of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery. The US greenness rank covers cities of 100,000+ people; see the full ranking.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Alabama lost?
Since 2001, Alabama has lost about 8.78 million acres (3.55 million hectares) of forest (about 36,000 km²): 39% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 422,000 acres (171,000 hectares) (4.8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 8.78 million acres (3.55 million ha)about 36,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 39%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 422,000 acres (171,000 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 19,400 acres (7,860 ha) | 418,000 acres (169,000 ha) | 438,000 acres (177,000 ha) |
| 2002 | 18,500 acres (7,500 ha) | 352,000 acres (142,000 ha) | 370,000 acres (150,000 ha) |
| 2003 | 16,300 acres (6,580 ha) | 325,000 acres (131,000 ha) | 341,000 acres (138,000 ha) |
| 2004 | 24,900 acres (10,100 ha) | 399,000 acres (161,000 ha) | 424,000 acres (171,000 ha) |
| 2005 | 25,000 acres (10,100 ha) | 397,000 acres (161,000 ha) | 422,000 acres (171,000 ha) |
| 2006 | 26,300 acres (10,600 ha) | 388,000 acres (157,000 ha) | 415,000 acres (168,000 ha) |
| 2007 | 26,000 acres (10,500 ha) | 408,000 acres (165,000 ha) | 434,000 acres (176,000 ha) |
| 2008 | 25,900 acres (10,500 ha) | 437,000 acres (177,000 ha) | 463,000 acres (187,000 ha) |
| 2009 | 14,400 acres (5,840 ha) | 283,000 acres (114,000 ha) | 297,000 acres (120,000 ha) |
| 2010 | 20,800 acres (8,420 ha) | 366,000 acres (148,000 ha) | 386,000 acres (156,000 ha) |
| 2011 | 23,200 acres (9,370 ha) | 349,000 acres (141,000 ha) | 373,000 acres (151,000 ha) |
| 2012 | 21,300 acres (8,620 ha) | 377,000 acres (152,000 ha) | 398,000 acres (161,000 ha) |
| 2013 | 12,200 acres (4,940 ha) | 312,000 acres (126,000 ha) | 324,000 acres (131,000 ha) |
| 2014 | 15,200 acres (6,170 ha) | 358,000 acres (145,000 ha) | 373,000 acres (151,000 ha) |
| 2015 | 14,200 acres (5,750 ha) | 322,000 acres (130,000 ha) | 336,000 acres (136,000 ha) |
| 2016 | 20,700 acres (8,370 ha) | 385,000 acres (156,000 ha) | 405,000 acres (164,000 ha) |
| 2017 | 17,200 acres (6,940 ha) | 389,000 acres (158,000 ha) | 406,000 acres (164,000 ha) |
| 2018 | 13,000 acres (5,270 ha) | 325,000 acres (132,000 ha) | 338,000 acres (137,000 ha) |
| 2019 | 11,900 acres (4,800 ha) | 311,000 acres (126,000 ha) | 323,000 acres (131,000 ha) |
| 2020 | 9,740 acres (3,940 ha) | 270,000 acres (109,000 ha) | 280,000 acres (113,000 ha) |
| 2021 | 9,240 acres (3,740 ha) | 257,000 acres (104,000 ha) | 266,000 acres (108,000 ha) |
| 2022 | 9,490 acres (3,840 ha) | 265,000 acres (107,000 ha) | 274,000 acres (111,000 ha) |
| 2023 | 7,220 acres (2,920 ha) | 214,000 acres (86,800 ha) | 222,000 acres (89,700 ha) |
| 2024 | 8,610 acres (3,480 ha) | 230,000 acres (93,000 ha) | 238,000 acres (96,500 ha) |
| 2025 | 11,200 acres (4,550 ha) | 220,000 acres (89,000 ha) | 231,000 acres (93,600 ha) |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 246,000 acres (99,700 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 351,000 acres (142,000 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2008, when about 463,000 acres (187,000 hectares) of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Alabama?
- Loggingcan grow back95% · 8.34 million acres (3.38 million ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good2.3% · 200,000 acres (81,100 ha)
- Towns and roadscleared for good2% · 180,000 acres (72,800 ha)
Also: mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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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