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Air quality now: AQI26Good, Van Nuys

City report · California, United States

Van Nuys Air quality today

Air quality in Van Nuys currently reads AQI 26 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

AQI 26

Air quality right now

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
4.7
tree cover
18.8%
trees in this area
59.1K
more trees needed
35.2K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Van Nuys, Los Angeles, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Van Nuys · AQI 26 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 14, 2026

Van Nuys's tree count comes to 59,062 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 11 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 35,186 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Van Nuys today: AQI 26, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Reseda, 4.9 mi (7.9 km) away · median of 2 stations

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

4.7

PM10

—

NO₂

—

O₃

8.8

SO₂

—

CO

—

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 Van Nuys's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 46 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 83 on Nov 4.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 57 · peak 83
Nov 4: AQI 67 (peak 83)Nov 5: AQI 57 (peak 69)Nov 6: AQI 47 (peak 65)Nov 7: AQI 46 (peak 58)Nov 8: AQI 52 (peak 62)Nov 9: AQI 60 (peak 74)Nov 10: AQI 70 (peak 78)
Nov 4Nov 10

Where Van Nuys stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Van Nuys: Below target

18.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).

11 points below target

Trees in this area

59,062

Target trees

94,248

More trees needed

35,186

CO₂ if planted / yr

774.1 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Van Nuys lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Van Nuys has lost about 550 acres (223 hectares) of forest (about 420 football fields): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was wildfires (37%), after which forest can grow back. About 165 acres (67 hectares) (30%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around Van Nuys, June 2017

2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southwest of the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
550 acres (223 ha)about 420 football fields
Share of its forest
11%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
165 acres (67 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2025, when about 363 acres (147 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Van Nuys, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Van Nuys, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.363

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Van Nuys, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
200210 acres (4 ha)5 acres (2 ha)16 acres (6 ha)
20034 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha6 acres (2 ha)
20045 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha7 acres (3 ha)
20055 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha6 acres (3 ha)
20065 acres (2 ha)25 acres (10 ha)29 acres (12 ha)
2007under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
200823 acres (9 ha)under 1 ha24 acres (10 ha)
200911 acres (5 ha)3 acres (1 ha)14 acres (6 ha)
20103 acres (1 ha)under 1 ha4 acres (2 ha)
20116 acres (2 ha)11 acres (4 ha)17 acres (7 ha)
2012under 1 haunder 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
2013under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2014under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20163 acres (1 ha)under 1 ha4 acres (2 ha)
20173 acres (1 ha)36 acres (15 ha)39 acres (16 ha)
2018under 1 haunder 1 ha2 acres (1 ha)
2019under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20215 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha5 acres (2 ha)
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20245 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha5 acres (2 ha)
202569 acres (28 ha)294 acres (119 ha)363 acres (147 ha)

What is causing deforestation around Van Nuys?

  • Wildfirescan grow back37% · 202 acres (82 ha)
  • Towns and roadscleared for good30% · 165 acres (67 ha)
  • Unknown causescause unknown33% · 182 acres (74 ha)

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
15,600 acres (6,300 ha)
Forest in 2020
15,800 acres (6,380 ha)
Overall change
+188 acres (76 ha)more forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Van Nuys stayed about the same size, at about 15,800 acres (6,380 hectares): new forest grew on about 292 acres (118 hectares), and about 103 acres (42 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 Van Nuys

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Burbank

    United States

    12.9 km
    Tree cover
    15%
    Air quality
    31
  • Hollywood

    United States

    14.9 km
    Tree cover
    17%
    Air quality
    31
  • Los Angeles

    United States

    24.1 km
    Tree cover
    5%
    Air quality
    39
  • Santa Clarita

    United States

    24.4 km
    Tree cover
    22%
    Air quality
    17
  • Inglewood

    United States

    26.5 km
    Tree cover
    11%
    Air quality
    49
  • Pasadena

    United States

    28.3 km
    Tree cover
    26%
    Air quality
    34

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Van Nuys air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Van Nuys

What is the air quality (AQI) in Van Nuys right now?

The latest reading for Van Nuys shows an AQI of 26 (Good), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Reseda, 4.9 mi (7.9 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Van Nuys today?

At AQI 26 (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 Van Nuys been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Van Nuys's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 46 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 83 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

How much forest has the area around Van Nuys lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Van Nuys has lost about 550 acres (223 hectares) of forest (about 420 football fields): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was wildfires (37%), after which forest can grow back. About 165 acres (67 hectares) (30%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Van Nuys stayed about the same size, at about 15,800 acres (6,380 hectares): new forest grew on about 292 acres (118 hectares), and about 103 acres (42 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Van Nuys?

Van Nuys has an estimated 59,062 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 18.8% tree cover, 11 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Van Nuys need?

Van Nuys needs roughly 35,186 more trees to close a 11-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 774.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Van Nuys's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Van Nuys, 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 Van Nuys; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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