diff --git a/src/world/World.php b/src/world/World.php
index 6942b732f..b6da5e95d 100644
--- a/src/world/World.php
+++ b/src/world/World.php
@@ -2717,7 +2717,13 @@ class World implements ChunkManager{
 			return null;
 		}
 
-		$this->chunks[$chunkHash] = $loadedChunkData->getData()->getChunk();
+		$chunk = $loadedChunkData->getData()->getChunk();
+		if(!$loadedChunkData->isUpgraded()){
+			$chunk->clearTerrainDirtyFlags();
+		}else{
+			$this->logger->debug("Chunk $x $z has been upgraded, will be saved at the next autosave opportunity");
+		}
+		$this->chunks[$chunkHash] = $chunk;
 		unset($this->blockCache[$chunkHash]);
 
 		$this->initChunk($x, $z, $loadedChunkData->getData());
diff --git a/src/world/format/Chunk.php b/src/world/format/Chunk.php
index 1a48205a5..fdf8089d2 100644
--- a/src/world/format/Chunk.php
+++ b/src/world/format/Chunk.php
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ class Chunk{
 	public const COORD_BIT_SIZE = SubChunk::COORD_BIT_SIZE;
 	public const COORD_MASK = SubChunk::COORD_MASK;
 
-	private int $terrainDirtyFlags = 0;
+	private int $terrainDirtyFlags = ~0;
 
 	protected ?bool $lightPopulated = false;
 	protected bool $terrainPopulated = false;
diff --git a/src/world/format/io/leveldb/LevelDB.php b/src/world/format/io/leveldb/LevelDB.php
index 17d0770b3..5f89800cc 100644
--- a/src/world/format/io/leveldb/LevelDB.php
+++ b/src/world/format/io/leveldb/LevelDB.php
@@ -695,18 +695,8 @@ class LevelDB extends BaseWorldProvider implements WritableWorldProvider{
 
 		//TODO: tile ticks, biome states (?)
 
-		$chunk = new Chunk(
-			$subChunks,
-			$terrainPopulated
-		);
-
-		if($hasBeenUpgraded){
-			$logger->debug("Flagging chunk as dirty due to upgraded data");
-			$chunk->setTerrainDirty(); //trigger rewriting chunk to disk if it was converted from an older format
-		}
-
 		return new LoadedChunkData(
-			data: new ChunkData($chunk, $entities, $tiles),
+			data: new ChunkData(new Chunk($subChunks, $terrainPopulated), $entities, $tiles),
 			upgraded: $hasBeenUpgraded,
 			fixerFlags: LoadedChunkData::FIXER_FLAG_ALL //TODO: fill this by version rather than just setting all flags
 		);
diff --git a/src/world/generator/PopulationTask.php b/src/world/generator/PopulationTask.php
index e7e2b407c..7e077f141 100644
--- a/src/world/generator/PopulationTask.php
+++ b/src/world/generator/PopulationTask.php
@@ -117,8 +117,6 @@ class PopulationTask extends AsyncTask{
 			if($chunk === null){
 				throw new AssumptionFailedError("We just set this chunk, so it must exist");
 			}
-			$chunk->setTerrainDirtyFlag(Chunk::DIRTY_FLAG_BLOCKS, true);
-			$chunk->setTerrainDirtyFlag(Chunk::DIRTY_FLAG_BIOMES, true);
 		}
 		return $chunk;
 	}