New Providence's 200-Year-Old Sentinel Tree Comes Down on Passaic Street

Union County crews began removing a white oak known as the Sentinel Tree from outside New Providence Presbyterian Church on Passaic Street on August 21. The tree, believed to be more than 200 years old, was New Providence's only entry on the Union County Notable Tree List.

An inspection found that the tree's base had become hollowed out by interior rot, creating a public safety hazard along the roadway. Because the tree sits on county-owned road frontage along Passaic Street, Union County is handling the removal.

Crew members took the oak down piece by piece using a top down method, lowering massive limbs individually as they worked from the canopy downward. The trunk measures roughly five feet in diameter. By the close of work on August 21, much of the canopy had been removed, but the trunk and lower limbs were still standing. Work continued into subsequent days.

The name Sentinel Tree traces to a 1932 pamphlet that described the oak as well over a century old at that time. The tree earned its place on the Union County Notable Tree List in 1978. More than 120 trees are recognized on that list across Union County.

The New Providence Historical Society has followed the tree's condition closely in recent months. The Society hopes to use the felled tree to conduct tree ring analysis on the trunk's cross section to determine the oak's true age. A similar analysis of the Basking Ridge white oak, removed in 2017, placed that tree at 619 years old.

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FAQ

Q: What was the Sentinel Tree?
A: The Sentinel Tree was a historic white oak located outside New Providence Presbyterian Church on Passaic Street. It was believed to be more than 200 years old and was New Providence's only entry on the Union County Notable Tree List.

Q: Why was the tree removed?
A: An inspection found that the tree's base had become hollowed out by interior rot, creating a public safety hazard along the roadway.

Q: When did removal begin?
A: Union County crews began removing the tree on August 21, 2026.

Q: How was the tree removed?
A: Crew members took the oak down piece by piece using a top down method, lowering massive limbs individually as they worked from the canopy downward.

Q: How large was the trunk?
A: The trunk measures roughly five feet in diameter.

Q: Why is it called the Sentinel Tree?
A: The name Sentinel Tree traces to a 1932 pamphlet that described the oak as well over a century old at that time.

Q: When did the tree get on the Union County Notable Tree List?
A: The tree earned its place on the Union County Notable Tree List in 1978.

Q: How many notable trees are in Union County?
A: More than 120 trees are recognized on the Union County Notable Tree List across the county.

Q: What will happen to the felled tree?
A: The New Providence Historical Society hopes to use the felled tree to conduct tree ring analysis on the trunk's cross section to determine the oak's true age.

Q: Has tree-ring analysis been done on other old trees?
A: Yes. A similar analysis of the Basking Ridge white oak, removed in 2017, placed that tree at 619 years old, showing trees may be significantly older than estimated.

Q: Who oversaw the removal?
A: Union County is handling the removal because the tree sits on county-owned road frontage along Passaic Street.