J.R.R. Tolkien calls the tree-like shepherds of the forest Ents.
Ents are ancient, tree-like beings who protect and care for the forests of Middle-earth. The word “Ent” comes from an Old English term meaning giant, and Tolkien adapted the idea into one of the distinctive peoples in The Lord of the Rings.
The best-known Ent is Treebeard, who meets Merry and Pippin in Fangorn Forest. Their encounter helps bring the Ents into the War of the Ring. Angered by Saruman’s destruction of trees, the Ents march on Isengard and help overwhelm the stronghold.
Ents are sometimes confused with ordinary talking trees or with Huorns, another mysterious tree-related group in Tolkien’s mythology. Ents are specifically the sentient tree-shepherd people, while Treebeard is their oldest and most prominent named representative.