City report · North Carolina, United States
Winston-Salem Air quality today
Air quality in Winston-Salem currently reads AQI 40 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 40
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 7.2
- tree cover
- 37.1%
- trees in this area
- 117K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown Winston-Salem, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Winston-Salem · AQI 40 (Good)
Winston-Salem's tree count comes to 116,553 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Winston-Salem today: AQI 40, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Hattie Avenue, 1.4 mi (2.2 km) away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
7.2
PM10
18.0
NO₂
48.0
O₃
—
SO₂
2.4
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 Winston-Salem's daily AQI at 29 on average, from 19 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 68 on Nov 10.
Where Winston-Salem stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Winston-Salem: Healthy tree cover
37.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
116,553
Target trees
116,553
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Winston-Salem lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Winston-Salem has lost about 4,650 acres (1,880 hectares) of forest (about 3,500 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (82%) 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 northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 4,650 acres (1,880 ha)about 3,500 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3,830 acres (1,550 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 162 acres (66 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 239 acres (97 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2015, when about 509 acres (206 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 | 94 acres (38 ha) | 18 acres (7 ha) | 112 acres (45 ha) |
| 2002 | 172 acres (70 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 179 acres (72 ha) |
| 2003 | 176 acres (71 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) | 197 acres (80 ha) |
| 2004 | 259 acres (105 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 267 acres (108 ha) |
| 2005 | 207 acres (84 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) | 226 acres (91 ha) |
| 2006 | 237 acres (96 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) | 264 acres (107 ha) |
| 2007 | 244 acres (99 ha) | 20 acres (8 ha) | 264 acres (107 ha) |
| 2008 | 80 acres (33 ha) | 24 acres (10 ha) | 105 acres (42 ha) |
| 2009 | 44 acres (18 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| 2010 | 79 acres (32 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 84 acres (34 ha) |
| 2011 | 48 acres (19 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| 2012 | 82 acres (33 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) | 109 acres (44 ha) |
| 2013 | 54 acres (22 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 57 acres (23 ha) |
| 2014 | 144 acres (58 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) | 166 acres (67 ha) |
| 2015 | 272 acres (110 ha) | 237 acres (96 ha) | 509 acres (206 ha) |
| 2016 | 99 acres (40 ha) | 63 acres (26 ha) | 162 acres (66 ha) |
| 2017 | 167 acres (68 ha) | 56 acres (23 ha) | 223 acres (90 ha) |
| 2018 | 252 acres (102 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) | 264 acres (107 ha) |
| 2019 | 214 acres (87 ha) | 63 acres (25 ha) | 277 acres (112 ha) |
| 2020 | 207 acres (84 ha) | 60 acres (24 ha) | 267 acres (108 ha) |
| 2021 | 124 acres (50 ha) | 30 acres (12 ha) | 154 acres (63 ha) |
| 2022 | 114 acres (46 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 121 acres (49 ha) |
| 2023 | 226 acres (92 ha) | 33 acres (14 ha) | 259 acres (105 ha) |
| 2024 | 144 acres (58 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) | 157 acres (63 ha) |
| 2025 | 94 acres (38 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) | 119 acres (48 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Winston-Salem?
- Towns and roadscleared for good80% · 3,720 acres (1,510 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back17% · 788 acres (319 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good2% · 93 acres (38 ha)
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 48,400 acres (19,600 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 48,700 acres (19,700 ha)
- Overall change
- +287 acres (116 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Winston-Salem stayed about the same size, at about 48,700 acres (19,700 hectares): new forest grew on about 2,820 acres (1,140 hectares), and about 2,530 acres (1,020 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 Winston-Salem
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- High Point26.8 km
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- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 18
- Greensboro40.7 km
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- 42%
- Air quality
- 18
- Charlotte111.1 km
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- 27%
- Air quality
- 51
- Durham121.5 km
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- Tree cover
- 49%
- Air quality
- 26
- Roanoke133.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 30
- Cary136.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 70%
- Air quality
- 22
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Frequently asked
Questions about Winston-Salem
What is the air quality (AQI) in Winston-Salem right now?
The latest reading for Winston-Salem shows an AQI of 40 (Good), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by the Hattie Avenue ground monitoring station, 1.4 mi (2.2 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Winston-Salem today?
At AQI 40 (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 Winston-Salem been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Winston-Salem's daily AQI at 29 on average, from 19 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 68 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 Winston-Salem lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Winston-Salem has lost about 4,650 acres (1,880 hectares) of forest (about 3,500 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (82%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss is slowing down: about 162 acres (66 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 239 acres (97 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Winston-Salem stayed about the same size, at about 48,700 acres (19,700 hectares): new forest grew on about 2,820 acres (1,140 hectares), and about 2,530 acres (1,020 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Winston-Salem?
Winston-Salem has an estimated 116,553 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 37.1% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Winston-Salem need?
Winston-Salem has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Winston-Salem's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown Winston-Salem, 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 Winston-Salem; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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