The Howling Oak was a refuge and embassy of the Gilnean refugees taken in by the Kaldorei. Gifted to the Worgen by Tyrande Whisperwind and the Night Elves, it served as a refuge for the lost and scattered people of Gilneas and served as a meeting place for families to reconvene. In the aftermath, it was treated as a refuge for people who have decided to not leave the city, serving as a common ground for the Gilnean people who are now without home. It appeared to be very similar to Tal'doren (" The Wild Home") in the Blackwald Forest. King Genn Greymane made an appearance at the oak before his travel to Stormwind City to council with King Varian Wrynn.
Along with the rest of Teldrassil, it was destroyed in the climax of the War of the Thorns.