diff --git a/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/syndtr/goleveldb/leveldb/db.go b/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/syndtr/goleveldb/leveldb/db.go
index eb6abd0fb1..47bbff51bc 100644
--- a/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/syndtr/goleveldb/leveldb/db.go
+++ b/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/syndtr/goleveldb/leveldb/db.go
@@ -1017,6 +1017,10 @@ func (db *DB) SizeOf(ranges []util.Range) (Sizes, error) {
 	return sizes, nil
 }
 
+func (db *DB) ReturnBuffer(b []byte) {
+	db.s.tops.bpool.Put(b)
+}
+
 // Close closes the DB. This will also releases any outstanding snapshot,
 // abort any in-flight compaction and discard open transaction.
 //
diff --git a/ethdb/database.go b/ethdb/database.go
index 479c54b607..80d77b4f0b 100644
--- a/ethdb/database.go
+++ b/ethdb/database.go
@@ -142,6 +142,10 @@ func (self *LDBDatabase) Get(key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	//return rle.Decompress(dat)
 }
 
+func (self *LDBDatabase) ReturnBuffer(b []byte) {
+	self.db.ReturnBuffer(b)
+}
+
 // Delete deletes the key from the queue and database
 func (self *LDBDatabase) Delete(key []byte) error {
 	// Measure the database delete latency, if requested
diff --git a/ethdb/interface.go b/ethdb/interface.go
index f4b787a52a..cb39ecd959 100644
--- a/ethdb/interface.go
+++ b/ethdb/interface.go
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ type Database interface {
 	Delete(key []byte) error
 	Close()
 	NewBatch() Batch
+
+	ReturnBuffer([]byte)
 }
 
 type Batch interface {
diff --git a/ethdb/memory_database.go b/ethdb/memory_database.go
index a729f52332..27680ef0e4 100644
--- a/ethdb/memory_database.go
+++ b/ethdb/memory_database.go
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ func (db *MemDatabase) Get(key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	return nil, errors.New("not found")
 }
 
+func (db *MemDatabase) ReturnBuffer(b []byte) {
+}
+
 func (db *MemDatabase) Keys() [][]byte {
 	db.lock.RLock()
 	defer db.lock.RUnlock()
diff --git a/trie/hasher.go b/trie/hasher.go
index e6261819c1..bb446444ab 100644
--- a/trie/hasher.go
+++ b/trie/hasher.go
@@ -85,11 +85,13 @@ func (h *hasher) hash(n node, db DatabaseWriter, force bool) (node, node, error)
 		cn.flags.hash = cachedHash
 		if db != nil {
 			cn.flags.dirty = false
+			cn.flags.new = false
 		}
 	case *fullNode:
 		cn.flags.hash = cachedHash
 		if db != nil {
 			cn.flags.dirty = false
+			cn.flags.new = false
 		}
 	}
 	return hashed, cached, nil
diff --git a/trie/node.go b/trie/node.go
index 4aa0cab65a..09c4a23da2 100644
--- a/trie/node.go
+++ b/trie/node.go
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ type nodeFlag struct {
 	hash  hashNode // cached hash of the node (may be nil)
 	gen   uint16   // cache generation counter
 	dirty bool     // whether the node has changes that must be written to the database
+	new   bool     // whether the node was allocated in the current generation
 }
 
 // canUnload tells whether a node can be unloaded.
@@ -138,7 +139,7 @@ func decodeShort(hash, buf, elems []byte, cachegen uint16) (node, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	flag := nodeFlag{hash: hash, gen: cachegen}
+	flag := nodeFlag{hash: hash, gen: cachegen, new: true}
 	key := compactDecode(kbuf)
 	if key[len(key)-1] == 16 {
 		// value node
@@ -156,7 +157,7 @@ func decodeShort(hash, buf, elems []byte, cachegen uint16) (node, error) {
 }
 
 func decodeFull(hash, buf, elems []byte, cachegen uint16) (*fullNode, error) {
-	n := &fullNode{flags: nodeFlag{hash: hash, gen: cachegen}}
+	n := &fullNode{flags: nodeFlag{hash: hash, gen: cachegen, new: true}}
 	for i := 0; i < 16; i++ {
 		cld, rest, err := decodeRef(elems, cachegen)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/trie/trie.go b/trie/trie.go
index 035a80e74c..61ca911f23 100644
--- a/trie/trie.go
+++ b/trie/trie.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto/sha3"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/logger"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/logger/glog"
 	"github.com/rcrowley/go-metrics"
@@ -98,7 +99,7 @@ func (t *Trie) SetCacheLimit(l uint16) {
 
 // newFlag returns the cache flag value for a newly created node.
 func (t *Trie) newFlag() nodeFlag {
-	return nodeFlag{dirty: true, gen: t.cachegen}
+	return nodeFlag{new: true, dirty: true, gen: t.cachegen}
 }
 
 // New creates a trie with an existing root node from db.
@@ -142,46 +143,52 @@ func (t *Trie) Get(key []byte) []byte {
 // If a node was not found in the database, a MissingNodeError is returned.
 func (t *Trie) TryGet(key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	key = compactHexDecode(key)
-	value, newroot, didResolve, err := t.tryGet(t.root, key, 0)
-	if err == nil && didResolve {
+	value, newroot, err := t.tryGet(t.root, key, 0)
+	if err == nil {
 		t.root = newroot
 	}
 	return value, err
 }
 
-func (t *Trie) tryGet(origNode node, key []byte, pos int) (value []byte, newnode node, didResolve bool, err error) {
+func (t *Trie) tryGet(origNode node, key []byte, pos int) (value []byte, newnode node, err error) {
 	switch n := (origNode).(type) {
 	case nil:
-		return nil, nil, false, nil
+		return nil, nil, nil
 	case valueNode:
-		return n, n, false, nil
+		return n, n, nil
 	case *shortNode:
 		if len(key)-pos < len(n.Key) || !bytes.Equal(n.Key, key[pos:pos+len(n.Key)]) {
 			// key not found in trie
-			return nil, n, false, nil
+			return nil, n, nil
 		}
-		value, newnode, didResolve, err = t.tryGet(n.Val, key, pos+len(n.Key))
-		if err == nil && didResolve {
-			n = n.copy()
-			n.Val = newnode
+		value, newnode, err = t.tryGet(n.Val, key, pos+len(n.Key))
+		if err == nil {
+			if !n.flags.new {
+				n = n.copy()
+				n.flags.new = true
+			}
 			n.flags.gen = t.cachegen
+			n.Val = newnode
 		}
-		return value, n, didResolve, err
+		return value, n, err
 	case *fullNode:
-		value, newnode, didResolve, err = t.tryGet(n.Children[key[pos]], key, pos+1)
-		if err == nil && didResolve {
-			n = n.copy()
+		value, newnode, err = t.tryGet(n.Children[key[pos]], key, pos+1)
+		if err == nil {
+			if !n.flags.new {
+				n = n.copy()
+				n.flags.new = true
+			}
 			n.flags.gen = t.cachegen
 			n.Children[key[pos]] = newnode
 		}
-		return value, n, didResolve, err
+		return value, n, err
 	case hashNode:
 		child, err := t.resolveHash(n, key[:pos], key[pos:])
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, n, true, err
+			return nil, n, err
 		}
-		value, newnode, _, err := t.tryGet(child, key, pos)
-		return value, newnode, true, err
+		value, newnode, err := t.tryGet(child, key, pos)
+		return value, newnode, err
 	default:
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("%T: invalid node: %v", origNode, origNode))
 	}
@@ -283,11 +290,7 @@ func (t *Trie) insert(n node, prefix, key []byte, value node) (bool, node, error
 		if err != nil {
 			return false, nil, err
 		}
-		dirty, nn, err := t.insert(rn, prefix, key, value)
-		if !dirty || err != nil {
-			return false, rn, err
-		}
-		return true, nn, nil
+		return t.insert(rn, prefix, key, value)
 
 	default:
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("%T: invalid node: %v", n, n))
@@ -414,11 +417,7 @@ func (t *Trie) delete(n node, prefix, key []byte) (bool, node, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return false, nil, err
 		}
-		dirty, nn, err := t.delete(rn, prefix, key)
-		if !dirty || err != nil {
-			return false, rn, err
-		}
-		return true, nn, nil
+		return t.delete(rn, prefix, key)
 
 	default:
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("%T: invalid node: %v (%v)", n, n, key))
@@ -453,6 +452,9 @@ func (t *Trie) resolveHash(n hashNode, prefix, suffix []byte) (node, error) {
 		}
 	}
 	dec := mustDecodeNode(n, enc, t.cachegen)
+	if edb, ok := t.db.(*ethdb.LDBDatabase); ok {
+		edb.ReturnBuffer(enc)
+	}
 	return dec, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/trie/trie_test.go b/trie/trie_test.go
index 14ac5a6669..b4761605c9 100644
--- a/trie/trie_test.go
+++ b/trie/trie_test.go
@@ -329,8 +329,7 @@ func TestCacheUnload(t *testing.T) {
 	root, _ := trie.Commit()
 
 	// Commit the trie repeatedly and access key1.
-	// The branch containing it is loaded from DB exactly two times:
-	// in the 0th and 6th iteration.
+	// The branch containing it is loaded from DB exactly once.
 	db := &countingDB{Database: trie.db, gets: make(map[string]int)}
 	trie, _ = New(root, db)
 	trie.SetCacheLimit(5)
@@ -339,10 +338,10 @@ func TestCacheUnload(t *testing.T) {
 		trie.Commit()
 	}
 
-	// Check that it got loaded two times.
+	// Check that it got loaded once.
 	for dbkey, count := range db.gets {
-		if count != 2 {
-			t.Errorf("db key %x loaded %d times, want %d times", []byte(dbkey), count, 2)
+		if count != 1 {
+			t.Errorf("db key %x loaded %d times, want %d times", []byte(dbkey), count, 1)
 		}
 	}
 }