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In the face of climate change, carbon storage and sequestration are becoming more and more important by the day. Natural Climate Solutions are the most promising method for realizing negative emissions, with forests and wetlands as the most performant ecosystems considering carbon storage and sequestration. Peatlands have the highest carbon stocks of all wetlands, but can become carbon sources rather than sinks when drained. After drainage, tree invasion is possible, which often results in a succession to willow or alder carrs. Though these forests sequester and store carbon as living biomass, they might reduce the carbon stock in the soil. In this research, we aimed to quantify the SOC stocks in 13 Flemish fens, using a coupled design of plots invaded and not invaded by trees. We used vegetation analysis to assess differences in plant communities. Different fen types were accounted for, we sampled quaking fens, sloping fens and alkaline fens. Our results show that tree cover reduces the soil organic carbon, as well as plant diversity. However, a study considering the total carbon stock including living tree biomass is needed to compare invaded and non-invaded situations. However, our results give an indication that open fens might be delivering more ecosystem services than fens invaded by trees.