Carr (landform)

A carr is a type of waterlogged wooded terrain that typically represents a succession stage between an original reedy marsh and the eventual formation of forest in a sub-maritime climate. Carrs are wetlands dominated by shrubs rather than trees, forming one stage in a hydrosere, the vegetation progression beginning in terrain submerged by fresh water along a river or lake margin: as reeds decay the soil surface rises above the water, creating fens where sedge can grow, and as the progression continues riparian trees and bushes such as alder and willow appear to create a wooded fen landscape.