Care for Redbud after Storm Injury

[starling]

I'm a new homeowner and I'm still trying to learn how to care for the trees in our yard. Unfortunately, a Redbud in our front yard was damaged by winds over the weekend. It looks to be a fairly young tree (less than 15 years, maybe?), so I'm hoping it might have a good chance of surviving if I can figure out how to care for it properly.

Basically, the tree previously had a fork/crotch about 10 inches from the ground, and so it had two separate trunks. The wind broke one of the trunks in half about 18 inches from the fork. It broke right at a point where the previous owner had improperly pruned a large limb and it looks like there was a fair amount of dead wood and rot in the center.

So I guess my question is: What should I do with the stump half of the tree to ensure that the surviving half stays healthy?

Should I cut away the rotted section back to "good" wood and then let it scar over? Should I cover the wound in any way? Or should I just let it be?

Thanks a bunch!
-Chris

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

If I understand you correctly, the broken branch is just a stub.
I like to just leave these for a few months to see is any shoots develop, then cut just past he last shoot on the stub. If no shoots develop, the branch is dead and should be cut off.