diff --git a/src/base/base_module.f90 b/src/base/base_module.f90
index 605355802..9cff4cff5 100644
--- a/src/base/base_module.f90
+++ b/src/base/base_module.f90
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ module base
       logical                   :: lrestart     = .false. !! Indicates whether or not this is a restarted run
 
       character(NAMELEN)       :: display_style        !! Style of the output display {["STANDARD"], "COMPACT"}). 
-      integer(I4B)             :: display_unit          !! File unit number for display (either to stdout or to a log file)
+      integer(I4B)             :: display_unit = OUTPUT_UNIT         !! File unit number for display (either to stdout or to a log file)
       logical                  :: log_output  = .false. !! Logs the output to file instead of displaying it on the terminal
 
       ! Future features not implemented or in development