Angel Oak was damaged severely during Hurricane Hugo in 1989 but has since recovered.[1] The City of Charleston has owned the tree and surrounding park since 1991.[2]

Development is beginning to encroach on the site of Angel Oak. In 2012, plans to build a 500-unit apartment complex that would be 160 yards (150 m) from Angel Oak were challenged in court by a group called Save the Angel Oak and the Coastal Conservation League; their concerns included the construction's effect on available groundwater and nutrients.[3] By December 2013, the Lowcountry Land Trust, celebrated [4] "the preservation of 17 acres adjacent to the majestic tree." The 17 acres adjacent to the Angel Oak were purchased by Lowcountry Land Trust, protecting the area from development.

Angel Oak is featured prominently in the book The Locket/The Heart of a Child by Emily Nelson – now titled Where the Fireflies Dream.[5][6]

Angel Oak was the focal point of an Allstate television ad in September 2018 saluting the strength of the Carolinas following the devastation of Hurricane Florence.[7]