In Chapter 2 of the Silm, "Of Aulė and Yavanna", (I just love that chapter) Aulė creates the Dwarf-Kind, but is required by Eru to let them sleep until the coming of The One's first people, the Elves, are created.
It was the coming of the Dwarves that inspired Yavanna to request that she might create "The Shepherd of the Trees", in order to have some protection for the natural world of Middle-earth against the Dwarves. But it is not really clear if the Ents were already in place when Durin's Folk were finally awakened.
If they were, then they would be the second oldest, because Treebeard hints that Elves taught language to the Ents. Or they may have been "placed" there at the same time that Eru awakened the dwarves, which would still put them neck-to-neck with Dwarves for second place.
But I'd have to agree that Tom was there first, in spirit form. (no backing for that, just a hunch.) Hmmmmm, maybe ol' Tom was the "Shepherd of the Trees" that Yavanna was speaking of?
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