Treebeard is known as the first and greatest of the Ents in Tolkien’s fiction.
He appears in The Lord of the Rings as Fangorn, an ancient tree-shepherd who lives in Fangorn Forest. Treebeard is exceptionally old, slow-speaking, and cautious, but he becomes a decisive opponent of Saruman after learning how the wizard’s forces have damaged the forest and destroyed trees.
Treebeard’s meeting with Merry and Pippin introduces readers to the Ents, sentient beings created to shepherd and protect the trees. The Ents’ eventual attack on Isengard is one of the novel’s major turning points. Quickbeam is another Ent, but he is a different character, notable for being unusually quick by Entish standards. Treebeard should also not be confused with the Entwives, whose disappearance is part of the tragedy of Entish history.