diff --git a/example/gmt/gmt2.c b/example/gmt/gmt2.c
index 64a838157..98571f5fa 100644
--- a/example/gmt/gmt2.c
+++ b/example/gmt/gmt2.c
@@ -302,14 +302,14 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
       ue = usagerrf (opt, "maxlevel not between minlevel and %d",
                      P4EST_QMAXLEVEL);
     }
-    if (g->synthetic >= 0 ? (g->latlongno >= 0 || g->sphere == 1)
-        : (g->latlongno >= 0 && g->sphere == 1)
+    if (g->synthetic >= 0 ? (g->latlongno >= 0 || g->sphere)
+        : (g->latlongno >= 0 && g->sphere)
       ) {
       ue =
         usagerrf (opt,
                   "set only one of the synthetic, sphere and latlong models");
     }
-    if (g->synthetic < 0 && g->latlongno < 0 && g->sphere == 0) {
+    if (g->synthetic < 0 && g->latlongno < 0 && !g->sphere) {
       ue =
         usagerrf (opt,
                   "set one of the synthetic, sphere, and latlong models");
@@ -334,7 +334,6 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 
   /* cleanup application model */
   if (g->model != NULL) {
-    p4est_connectivity_destroy (g->model->conn);
     p4est_gmt_model_destroy (g->model);
   }
 
diff --git a/example/gmt/gmt_models.c b/example/gmt/gmt_models.c
index b61f2a0d7..f06406e11 100644
--- a/example/gmt/gmt_models.c
+++ b/example/gmt/gmt_models.c
@@ -144,7 +144,9 @@ static int
 model_latlong_intersect (p4est_topidx_t which_tree, const double coord[4],
                          size_t m, void *vmodel)
 {
+#ifdef P4EST_ENABLE_DEBUG
   p4est_gmt_model_t  *model = (p4est_gmt_model_t *) vmodel;
+#endif
 
   P4EST_ASSERT (model != NULL);
   P4EST_ASSERT (m < model->M);
@@ -453,5 +455,6 @@ p4est_gmt_model_destroy (p4est_gmt_model_t * model)
     P4EST_FREE (model->model_data);
   }
   p4est_geometry_destroy (model->model_geom);
+  p4est_connectivity_destroy (model->conn);
   P4EST_FREE (model);
 }
diff --git a/example/gmt/sphere_preprocessing.c b/example/gmt/sphere_preprocessing.c
index 890c66b17..f9174909b 100644
--- a/example/gmt/sphere_preprocessing.c
+++ b/example/gmt/sphere_preprocessing.c
@@ -574,9 +574,10 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
   mpiret = sc_MPI_Init (&argc, &argv);
   SC_CHECK_MPI (mpiret);
 
-  /* default communicator used for logging */
+  /* default communicator and packages used for logging */
   mpicomm = sc_MPI_COMM_WORLD;
   sc_init (mpicomm, 1, 1, NULL, SC_LP_DEFAULT);
+  p4est_init (NULL, SC_LP_DEFAULT);
 
   /* Get rank and number of processes */
   mpiret = sc_MPI_Comm_size (mpicomm, &num_procs);