diff --git a/mutable_tree.go b/mutable_tree.go
index 6b2742f08..f3c8647db 100644
--- a/mutable_tree.go
+++ b/mutable_tree.go
@@ -464,8 +464,6 @@ func (tree *MutableTree) LoadVersion(targetVersion int64) (int64, error) {
 
 	if firstVersion == 0 {
 		if targetVersion <= 0 {
-			tree.version = int64(tree.ndb.opts.InitialVersion)
-
 			if !tree.skipFastStorageUpgrade {
 				tree.mtx.Lock()
 				defer tree.mtx.Unlock()