diff --git a/src/tree_data_new.c b/src/tree_data_new.c
index a1c9060..ab48161 100644
--- a/src/tree_data_new.c
+++ b/src/tree_data_new.c
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@
 {
     LY_ERR rc = LY_SUCCESS;
     struct lyd_ctx *lydctx = NULL;
-    uint32_t parse_opts, int_opts, *prev_lo, temp_lo = 0;
+    uint32_t parse_opts, int_opts, *prev_lo = NULL, temp_lo = 0;
 
     *tree = NULL;
 
diff --git a/tests/utests/data/test_tree_data.c b/tests/utests/data/test_tree_data.c
index 478a931..b65e8e3 100644
--- a/tests/utests/data/test_tree_data.c
+++ b/tests/utests/data/test_tree_data.c
@@ -597,7 +597,7 @@
 test_data_leafref_nodes(void **state)
 {
     struct lyd_node *tree, *iter;
-    struct lyd_node_term *target_node, *leafref_node;
+    struct lyd_node_term *target_node = NULL, *leafref_node;
     const struct lyd_leafref_links_rec *rec;
     const char *schema, *data, *value;
 
@@ -695,7 +695,7 @@
 {
     struct lyd_node *tree, *iter;
     const char *schema, *data;
-    struct lyd_node_term *leafref_node;
+    struct lyd_node_term *leafref_node = NULL;
     const struct lyd_node_term *target_node1, *target_node2;
     const struct lyd_leafref_links_rec *rec;