City report · United States
Washington Air quality today
Air quality in Washington currently reads AQI 75 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 75
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 22.0
- tree cover
- 18.6%
- trees in this area
- 49.7K
- more trees needed
- 30.5K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Northwest Washington, Washington, DC, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 9, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Washington · AQI 75 (Moderate)
Washington's tree count comes to 49,727 trees across 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km²) of land, 11 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 30,478 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Washington today: AQI 75, 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 · King Greenleaf Rec C, 1.9 mi (3 km) away · median of 7 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
22.0
PM10
—
NO₂
50.8
O₃
9.8
SO₂
—
CO
973.8
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 Washington's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 27 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 10.
Where Washington stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Washington: Below target
18.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
49,727
Target trees
80,205
More trees needed
30,478
CO₂ if planted / yr
670.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Washington lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Washington has lost about 291 acres (118 hectares) of forest (about 220 football fields): 1.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (89%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 291 acres (118 ha)about 220 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 1.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 259 acres (105 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 30 acres (12 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 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2002 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2004 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2005 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2006 | 22 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2007 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2008 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (5 ha) |
| 2009 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2010 | 28 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2011 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2012 | 28 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 30 acres (12 ha) |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2015 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2016 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2017 | 13 acres (5 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 16 acres (7 ha) |
| 2018 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2019 | 25 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| 2020 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2021 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2022 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2023 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2024 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2025 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Washington?
- Towns and roadscleared for good89% · 259 acres (105 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown11% · 32 acres (13 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
- 38,400 acres (15,500 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 38,300 acres (15,500 ha)
- Overall change
- −64 acres (26 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Washington stayed about the same size, at about 38,300 acres (15,500 hectares): new forest grew on about 415 acres (168 hectares), and about 479 acres (194 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 Washington
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Richmond153.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 66
- Philadelphia199.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 64
- East Hampton215.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 50%
- Air quality
- 28
- Newport News219.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 32
- Allentown231.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 17
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Frequently asked
Questions about Washington
What is the air quality (AQI) in Washington right now?
The latest reading for Washington shows an AQI of 75 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 7 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is King Greenleaf Rec C, 1.9 mi (3 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Washington today?
At AQI 75 (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 Washington been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Washington's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 27 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Washington lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Washington has lost about 291 acres (118 hectares) of forest (about 220 football fields): 1.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (89%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Washington stayed about the same size, at about 38,300 acres (15,500 hectares): new forest grew on about 415 acres (168 hectares), and about 479 acres (194 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Washington?
Washington has an estimated 49,727 trees across the 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km²) of land measured — 18.6% tree cover, 11 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Washington need?
Washington needs roughly 30,478 more trees to close a 11-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 670.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Washington's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Northwest Washington, 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 Northwest Washington; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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