Data protection methods and systems for a storage environment are provided. A first-in-first out (FIFO) structure stores a logical representation of a first storage location that retains previous data for a data container, after new data for the data container is stored at a second storage location. The FIFO structure also stores a logical representation of a file system tree structure that is stored in persistent storage, after a consistent point operation. In response to an event, the file system tree structure is selected, based on the file system tree structure being closest to a transaction. A snapshot is generated using the file system tree structure. Thereafter, the data container is restored from the snapshot or from a copy of the snapshot.