The city had come and removed the section of the tree trunk  (about 3' in diameter)  which had blocked the back alley - but had left all the rest.

The Township required every tree with a diameter of 3" or more at 48" above grade to be identified by a NJ lic arborist, coordinated with the full engineering set, and then marked out on site as to its condition / health, or if it was to remain or be demo'd.

Secret is a 3" diameter flush valve.

If the trees are bigger than 16" diameter the timber may be worth some money depending on the species. 

The most common fittings for pex have a smaller inner diameter and go inside the pipe and I assume would restrict water flow some.

The upside to pex is that it can expand up to 16 times its original diameter, costs less, easy to repair and cheaper to repair.

This will add 2" in diameter and will make most water heaters no longer fit through most attic access doors in your house. 

The last prop I bought just for the cedars. the DBH (diameter breast height) and total log lengths weren't typical and I made a deal with log cabin and timber frame builder they pay extra for quality and the longer log length.

Among the specifications outlined by the FCC are that direct-to-home satellite dishes must be less than 40 inches in diameter.

The root was 5" in diameter!