LTSEs are defined as field experiments with permanent plots that are
periodically sampled to quantify soil change across decadal time scales.
They provide invaluable information regarding soil change and functioning,
as well as biological, biogeochemical and environmental sustainability.
Understanding the past and present ecosystem dynamics may be key
to properly predicting future conditions, even though global change creates
site conditions that may or may not have precedents. Much of our
present knowledge regarding soils and sustainable land use is based on
the results from LTSEs, both from forest and agricultural experiments