Young trees have a plastic banding around it. Staked Trees are no longer an automatic free drop unless it also has plastic banding around it.

You MUST take a drop away if any attempt to play the ball would damage the tree.

Relief is only available if the club would make contact with tree during your swing and not if the tree is in front of you.

You must drop within 1 club length not nearer the hole from the nearest point of relief from the tree.

If the ball is left of the tree you must drop to the left of the tree and if the ball is right of the tree you must drop to the right of the tree.

Point 1 is the nearest point of relief from the tree and 1 club length is between Point 1 and Point 2 that is where the ball shall be dropped between.

Nearest point of relief is further away when the ball is on the right hand side of the tree because your back swing would touch the tree branches.

Rule 24