This session will focus on how wetland soils and their microbial communities develop and function in new environments (such as created wetlands, treatment wetlands, mitigation sites, areas receiving sedimentation) and areas undergoing restoration (reclaimed mines, restored forested wetlands, marshlands undergoing hydrologic re-connection). There is broad interest on how these soils develop and change in response to disturbance and management. We will include an emphasis on microbial communities during this session-we will explore how microbial communities develop in these systems, how these initial and changing microbial communities affect overall soil function and system performance and health, and what techniques can be used to optimize microbial communities and increase the likelihood of successful interventions.