as far as I know here its 3M (10ft) from any energized conductor unless qualified. although routinely ignored.
the last fun one I saw was two grass mower guys trimming a laurel hedge that had a house drop going near it. they tied a loop in a nylon rope, lassooed the house drop and one guy was...
hmm. just traded a little pruning work for an Arcteryx rain jacket... I think its a Theta, superlight, super gore tex. must have in the pacific northwet.
I have a weaver sliding double dee, and its a medium. I am 32" waist and i am on the second to last belt hole most times. maybe you need a better fitted saddle?
Re: Tree decay and it\'s relation to failure
species would matter if you look at compression wood vs tension wood. a conifer may fail in to the decay area as the compression wood becomes unstable and loses its ability to resist gravity. Brown cubical rot can cause the tree to literally fall...