I have a very large, beautiful Easter Redbud in our front yard. It is multi stem and has a width of 45 feet (closer to 55 feet before November ice storm helped with pruning)

3-4 years ago, an Arborist from The Care of Trees stopped by to marvel at the tree (stunning from the road when in bloom). He gave me a few tips for its care. Along with yearly pruning, he recommended leaving the suckers on the tree. He said it helps strengthen the tree. I had never heard of suckers being beneficial for trees.

So my question is, are suckers on a Redbud really beneficial and should I leave them?

The tree is likely 50 years old (house built 1980). Our property is in a low spot of used to be a farmers field. As such, lots of black soil, have to dig deeper than normal in cook county to get to clay.

Thanks, Les

Leaving suckers on the trunks of younger redbuds (and other trees) can assist in producing energy for better establishment and some suggest it can increase the girth of the trunk as well. Other references suggest keeping the trunks clear of suckers. if the suggestion was to allow a sucker from the soil to develop to to allow a replacement trunk, that is also a possibility. Keeping the canopy open to allow sun and wind into the interior is a good thing. Redbuds grown in full sun have a tendency to have a think dense canopy. Cleary, the tree has done well over the years iwth the kind of care you have been providing. I would not change any of those management strategies.