Qinngua Valley, also called Qinnquadalen, Kanginsap Qinngua and Paradisdalen, is a valley in Greenland, about from the nearest settlement of Tasiusaq, Kujalleq. The valley has the only natural forest in Greenland and is about long, running roughly north to south and terminating at Tasersuag Lake. The lake drains into Tasermiut Fjord. Mountains rise as much as on either side of the narrow valley. The valley is situated about from the sea and protected from the cold winds coming off the interior

glaciers A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

of Greenland. In total, over 300 species of plants grow in the valley. The forest in Qinngua Valley is a thicket consisting mainly of downy birch ('' Betula pubescens'') and gray-leaf willow ('' Salix glauca''), growing up to tall. Growing sometimes to tree height is the Greenland mountain ash (''

Sorbus groenlandica ''Sorbus groenlandica'', the Greenland mountain-ash, is a species of ''Sorbus'' found in Greenland and northeastern North America. A shrub, it cannot be found north of 62°15′N, which confines it the southern tip of Greenland, generally deepe ...

''), which is usually a shrub. Green alder (''

Alnus crispa ''Alnus alnobetula'' is a common tree widespread across much of Europe, Asia, and North America. Many sources refer to it as ''Alnus viridis'', the green alder, but botanically this is considered an illegitimate name synonymous with ''Alnus alnob ...

'') is also found in the valley. It is possible that other forests of this type once existed in Greenland but were cleared by early settlers for firewood or building material. The valley was declared a protected natural area in 1930. Although nearly all of ice-free Greenland has an Arctic tundra climate (ET in the Köppen climate classification), Qinngua Valley may have a sub-arctic Dfc climate.

References

{{coord, 60.29, -44.50, dim:20000_region:GL, display=title Valleys of Greenland Flora of Greenland Forests of Denmark Forests of North America