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City report · California, United States

Visalia Air quality today

Air quality in Visalia currently reads AQI 62 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Air quality right now

AQI 62

Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
14.8
tree cover
13.0%
trees in this area
40.8K
more trees needed
53.4K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Visalia, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 12, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Visalia · AQI 62 (Moderate)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 12, 2026

Visalia's tree count comes to 40,841 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 17 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 53,407 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Visalia today: AQI 62, Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 06:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Visalia - W Ashland, 1.9 mi (3.1 km) away

Health signal

Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

PM2.5

14.8

PM10

24.0

NO₂

18.4

O₃

25.5

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 Visalia's daily AQI at 56 on average, from 40 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 118 on Nov 6.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 56 · peak 118
Nov 4: AQI 63 (peak 70)Nov 5: AQI 58 (peak 61)Nov 6: AQI 76 (peak 118)Nov 7: AQI 70 (peak 104)Nov 8: AQI 41 (peak 64)Nov 9: AQI 47 (peak 59)Nov 10: AQI 40 (peak 63)
Nov 4Nov 10

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

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Visalia: Critically low

13.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).

17 points below target

Trees in this area

40,841

Target trees

94,248

More trees needed

53,407

CO₂ if planted / yr

1,175 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Visalia lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Visalia has lost about 4,140 acres (1,680 hectares) of forest (about 3,100 football fields): 57% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.

Satellite image of the area around Visalia, June 2017

2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km southeast of the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
4,140 acres (1,680 ha)about 3,100 football fields
Share of its forest
57%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
4,130 acres (1,670 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

Forest loss is speeding up: about 233 acres (94 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, up from 129 acres (52 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2005, when about 571 acres (231 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Visalia, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Visalia, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.571

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Visalia, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001118 acres (48 ha)under 1 ha119 acres (48 ha)
2002155 acres (63 ha)under 1 ha155 acres (63 ha)
2003102 acres (41 ha)under 1 ha102 acres (41 ha)
2004167 acres (68 ha)under 1 ha167 acres (68 ha)
2005566 acres (229 ha)5 acres (2 ha)571 acres (231 ha)
2006228 acres (92 ha)under 1 ha229 acres (93 ha)
2007230 acres (93 ha)under 1 ha230 acres (93 ha)
2008171 acres (69 ha)under 1 ha171 acres (69 ha)
2009122 acres (49 ha)under 1 ha122 acres (49 ha)
201024 acres (10 ha)under 1 ha24 acres (10 ha)
2011130 acres (53 ha)under 1 ha131 acres (53 ha)
201273 acres (30 ha)under 1 ha73 acres (30 ha)
2013134 acres (54 ha)under 1 ha134 acres (54 ha)
201469 acres (28 ha)under 1 ha69 acres (28 ha)
201538 acres (15 ha)under 1 ha38 acres (15 ha)
2016146 acres (59 ha)under 1 ha146 acres (59 ha)
2017138 acres (56 ha)under 1 ha138 acres (56 ha)
201883 acres (34 ha)under 1 ha83 acres (34 ha)
2019117 acres (48 ha)under 1 ha117 acres (48 ha)
2020161 acres (65 ha)under 1 ha161 acres (65 ha)
2021107 acres (44 ha)under 1 ha107 acres (44 ha)
202268 acres (28 ha)under 1 ha68 acres (28 ha)
2023383 acres (155 ha)under 1 ha383 acres (155 ha)
2024479 acres (194 ha)under 1 ha479 acres (194 ha)
2025125 acres (51 ha)under 1 ha126 acres (51 ha)

What is causing deforestation around Visalia?

  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good78% · 3,220 acres (1,300 ha)
  • Towns and roadscleared for good22% · 914 acres (370 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
2,220 acres (897 ha)
Forest in 2020
2,210 acres (895 ha)
Overall change
−5 acres (2 ha)less forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Visalia stayed about the same size, at about 2,210 acres (895 hectares): new forest grew on about 870 acres (352 hectares), and about 875 acres (354 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 Visalia

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

  • Fresno

    United States

    63.2 km
    Tree cover
    12%
    Air quality
    78
  • Clovis

    United States

    66.1 km
    Tree cover
    11%
    Air quality
    76
  • Bakersfield

    United States

    109.2 km
    Tree cover
    8%
    Air quality
    82
  • Santa Maria

    United States

    184.7 km
    Tree cover
    7%
    Air quality
    53
  • Lancaster

    United States

    209.5 km
    Tree cover
    9%
    Air quality
    17
  • Modesto

    United States

    210.0 km
    Tree cover
    26%
    Air quality
    77

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

Questions about Visalia

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

The latest reading for Visalia shows an AQI of 62 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 06:00 local time by the Visalia - W Ashland ground monitoring station, 1.9 mi (3.1 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 Visalia today?

At AQI 62 (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 Visalia been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Visalia's daily AQI at 56 on average, from 40 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 118 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 Visalia lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Visalia has lost about 4,140 acres (1,680 hectares) of forest (about 3,100 football fields): 57% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (over 99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is speeding up: about 233 acres (94 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, up from 129 acres (52 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Visalia stayed about the same size, at about 2,210 acres (895 hectares): new forest grew on about 870 acres (352 hectares), and about 875 acres (354 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Visalia?

Visalia has an estimated 40,841 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 13.0% tree cover, 17 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Visalia need?

Visalia needs roughly 53,407 more trees to close a 17-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,175 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Visalia's air quality and tree cover measured?

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

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