City report · California, United States
Vista Air quality today
Air quality in Vista currently reads AQI 29 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 29
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.2
- tree cover
- 14.1%
- trees in this area
- 44.3K
- more trees needed
- 50.0K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Vista, 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.
Vista · AQI 29 (Good)
Vista's tree count comes to 44,296 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 16 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 49,951 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Vista today: AQI 29, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Camp Pendleton, 8.9 mi (14.4 km) away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.2
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
47.1
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 Vista's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 31 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 4.
Where Vista stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Vista: Critically low
14.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
44,296
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
49,951
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,099 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Vista lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Vista has lost about 802 acres (324 hectares) of forest (about 610 football fields): 22% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 802 acres (324 ha)about 610 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 22%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 758 acres (307 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2003, when about 114 acres (46 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 | 35 acres (14 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| 2002 | 45 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 46 acres (19 ha) |
| 2003 | 109 acres (44 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 114 acres (46 ha) |
| 2004 | 27 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 28 acres (12 ha) |
| 2005 | 22 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2006 | 35 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 36 acres (15 ha) |
| 2007 | 59 acres (24 ha) | under 1 ha | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| 2008 | 87 acres (35 ha) | under 1 ha | 89 acres (36 ha) |
| 2009 | 34 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 34 acres (14 ha) |
| 2010 | 38 acres (16 ha) | under 1 ha | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2011 | 9 acres (4 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2012 | 24 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2013 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2014 | 29 acres (12 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 33 acres (14 ha) |
| 2015 | 37 acres (15 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2016 | 38 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2017 | 45 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 46 acres (19 ha) |
| 2018 | 19 acres (8 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2019 | 11 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2020 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2021 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2022 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2023 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2024 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2025 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Vista?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good70% · 558 acres (226 ha)
- Towns and roadscleared for good24% · 196 acres (79 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back3.4% · 27 acres (11 ha)
Also: mining and energy, wildfires, 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
- 17,700 acres (7,150 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 18,500 acres (7,500 ha)
- Overall change
- +867 acres (351 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Vista grew from about 17,700 acres (7,150 hectares) to 18,500 acres (7,500 hectares), a net gain of about 867 acres (351 hectares) (+4.9%). New forest grew on about 1,540 acres (624 hectares), while 672 acres (272 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 Vista
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Oceanside12.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 29
- Escondido17.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 15
- Temecula33.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 20
- Murrieta39.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 32
- El Cajon52.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 21
- San Diego54.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 7%
- Air quality
- 23
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Frequently asked
Questions about Vista
What is the air quality (AQI) in Vista right now?
The latest reading for Vista shows an AQI of 29 (Good), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by the Camp Pendleton ground monitoring station, 8.9 mi (14.4 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Vista today?
At AQI 29 (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 Vista been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Vista's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 31 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 79 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 Vista lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Vista has lost about 802 acres (324 hectares) of forest (about 610 football fields): 22% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Vista grew from about 17,700 acres (7,150 hectares) to 18,500 acres (7,500 hectares), a net gain of about 867 acres (351 hectares) (+4.9%). New forest grew on about 1,540 acres (624 hectares), while 672 acres (272 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Vista?
Vista has an estimated 44,296 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 14.1% tree cover, 16 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Vista need?
Vista needs roughly 49,951 more trees to close a 16-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,099 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Vista's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Vista, 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 Vista; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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