City report · New York, United States
Syracuse Air quality today
Air quality in Syracuse currently reads AQI 60 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 60
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 14.1
- tree cover
- 27.8%
- trees in this area
- 87.2K
- more trees needed
- 6.9K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Syracuse, NY, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 29, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Syracuse · AQI 60 (Moderate)
Syracuse's tree count comes to 87,162 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.54 km²) of land, 2 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 6,898 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Syracuse today: AQI 60, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · E Syracuse, 4.4 mi (7.1 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
14.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
15.7
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 Syracuse's daily AQI at 24 on average, from 15 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 6.
Where Syracuse stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Syracuse: Below target
27.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.54 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
87,162
Target trees
94,060
More trees needed
6,898
CO₂ if planted / yr
151.8 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Syracuse lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Syracuse has lost about 741 acres (300 hectares) of forest (about 560 football fields): 2.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (88%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 741 acres (300 ha)about 560 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 654 acres (265 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2016, when about 71 acres (29 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 | 42 acres (17 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 45 acres (18 ha) |
| 2002 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2003 | 28 acres (11 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 31 acres (13 ha) |
| 2004 | 31 acres (12 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| 2005 | 36 acres (15 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 38 acres (16 ha) |
| 2006 | 49 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| 2007 | 34 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| 2008 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2009 | 31 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2010 | 26 acres (11 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2011 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2012 | 54 acres (22 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) | 64 acres (26 ha) |
| 2013 | 23 acres (9 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2014 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2015 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2016 | 69 acres (28 ha) | under 1 ha | 71 acres (29 ha) |
| 2017 | 28 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2018 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2019 | 26 acres (11 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2020 | 34 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 36 acres (15 ha) |
| 2021 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2022 | 20 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2023 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2024 | 26 acres (11 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2025 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 21 acres (8 ha) | 31 acres (12 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Syracuse?
- Towns and roadscleared for good74% · 549 acres (222 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good14% · 106 acres (43 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back4.5% · 33 acres (13 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
- 37,900 acres (15,300 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 38,800 acres (15,700 ha)
- Overall change
- +946 acres (383 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Syracuse grew from about 37,900 acres (15,300 hectares) to 38,800 acres (15,700 hectares), a net gain of about 946 acres (383 hectares) (+2.5%). New forest grew on about 1,630 acres (660 hectares), while 684 acres (277 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 Syracuse
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Rochester119.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 48
- Kingston134.1 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 17
- Albany199.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 11
- Amherst215.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 57
- Buffalo222.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 57
- Oshawa237.7 km
Canada
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 23
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Frequently asked
Questions about Syracuse
What is the air quality (AQI) in Syracuse right now?
The latest reading for Syracuse shows an AQI of 60 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by the E Syracuse ground monitoring station, 4.4 mi (7.1 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 Syracuse today?
At AQI 60 (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 Syracuse been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Syracuse's daily AQI at 24 on average, from 15 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 61 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 Syracuse lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Syracuse has lost about 741 acres (300 hectares) of forest (about 560 football fields): 2.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (88%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Syracuse grew from about 37,900 acres (15,300 hectares) to 38,800 acres (15,700 hectares), a net gain of about 946 acres (383 hectares) (+2.5%). New forest grew on about 1,630 acres (660 hectares), while 684 acres (277 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Syracuse?
Syracuse has an estimated 87,162 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.54 km²) of land measured — 27.8% tree cover, 2 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Syracuse need?
Syracuse needs roughly 6,898 more trees to close a 2-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 151.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Syracuse's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown, 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 Downtown; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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