City report · Michigan, United States
Sterling Heights Air quality today
Air quality in Sterling Heights 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
- 17.9%
- trees in this area
- 56.2K
- more trees needed
- 38.0K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Sterling Heights, MI, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 28, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Sterling Heights · AQI 51 (Moderate)
Sterling Heights's tree count comes to 56,178 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land, 12 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 37,975 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Sterling Heights today: AQI 51, 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 · Dodge Park & Utica, 1.2 mi (2 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
9.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient
- 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 Sterling Heights's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 18 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 9.
Where Sterling Heights stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Sterling Heights: Critically low
17.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
56,178
Target trees
94,153
More trees needed
37,975
CO₂ if planted / yr
835.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Sterling Heights lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sterling Heights has lost about 366 acres (148 hectares) of forest (about 280 football fields): 4.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 366 acres (148 ha)about 280 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 4.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 340 acres (138 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2019, when about 53 acres (21 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 | 15 acres (6 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2002 | 16 acres (6 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2003 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2004 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2005 | 47 acres (19 ha) | under 1 ha | 49 acres (20 ha) |
| 2006 | 16 acres (7 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) |
| 2007 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2013 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2015 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2016 | 15 acres (6 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) |
| 2017 | 24 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2018 | 28 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 30 acres (12 ha) |
| 2019 | 52 acres (21 ha) | under 1 ha | 53 acres (21 ha) |
| 2020 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2021 | 11 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2022 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2023 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2024 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2025 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Sterling Heights?
- Towns and roadscleared for good93% · 339 acres (137 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown7.2% · 26 acres (11 ha)
Also: farms, pasture and plantations.
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
- 26,800 acres (10,800 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 28,100 acres (11,400 ha)
- Overall change
- +1,280 acres (519 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sterling Heights grew from about 26,800 acres (10,800 hectares) to 28,100 acres (11,400 hectares), a net gain of about 1,280 acres (519 hectares) (+4.8%). New forest grew on about 1,730 acres (700 hectares), while 447 acres (181 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 Sterling Heights
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Detroit27.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 91
- Windsor31.2 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 70
- Ann Arbor67.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 55%
- Air quality
- 43
- Toledo110.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 61
- Lansing125.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 53
- London153.4 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 58
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Frequently asked
Questions about Sterling Heights
What is the air quality (AQI) in Sterling Heights right now?
The latest reading for Sterling Heights shows an AQI of 51 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by the Dodge Park & Utica ground monitoring station, 1.2 mi (2 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 Sterling Heights 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 Sterling Heights been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Sterling Heights's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 18 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 65 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 Sterling Heights lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sterling Heights has lost about 366 acres (148 hectares) of forest (about 280 football fields): 4.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sterling Heights grew from about 26,800 acres (10,800 hectares) to 28,100 acres (11,400 hectares), a net gain of about 1,280 acres (519 hectares) (+4.8%). New forest grew on about 1,730 acres (700 hectares), while 447 acres (181 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Sterling Heights?
Sterling Heights has an estimated 56,178 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land measured — 17.9% tree cover, 12 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Sterling Heights need?
Sterling Heights needs roughly 37,975 more trees to close a 12-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 835.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Sterling Heights's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Sterling Heights, 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 Sterling Heights; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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