The white oak at 64 Passaic St. that has towered over New Providence for what may be more than two centuries is being removed the week of Aug. 8 after inspectors found dangerous rot inside its trunk.

The tree, which stands on Union County property next to New Providence Presbyterian Church, is the borough's only entry on the Union County Notable Trees list. It earned that designation in 1978 and has held it ever since, ranking second among all white oaks in Union County and 18th statewide with 282 total points under the New Jersey Forest Service grading method.

The list was compiled by Dean Talcott using the NJ Forest Service point-grading system. The Passaic Street oak measures 176 inches in circumference, stands 90 feet tall and spreads a crown of 63.5 feet. But interior rot near the base made it a hazard, according to TAPinto New Providence, which first reported the removal.

The New Providence Historical Society announced the loss on Facebook, calling the oak "the only old tree in New Providence appearing on the Union County Notable Tree List" and noting it is possibly more than 200 years old. The society's post listed removal for the week of Aug. 3. Patch's newsletter, published Saturday, Aug. 8, placed the work in the week of Aug. 8, suggesting the schedule shifted slightly.

Local historians plan to study the tree's rings once it is down to pin down its actual age. That kind of dendrochronology work confirmed the age of another famous New Jersey churchyard white oak: the Basking Ridge oak in Somerset County, which stood beside the Presbyterian Church at Basking Ridge and was 619 years old when it died in 2016.

Residents who drive Passaic Street should expect traffic delays near the church during the removal.

New Providence's Historical Preservation Commission meets Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Municipal Center, 360 Elkwood Ave.