Scott, here is a partial answer to your question. http://www.oregonchain.com/kickback.htm Chain saw manufacturers have a great deal of information on how to avoid kickback in the instruction manual. If you buy a chain saw go for quality not for price, the better saws have vibration isolation systems and inertia blade brakes as well as low kickback chains and bars. And i can tell you from experience that the inertia brake on Sthil chain saws work very well.

Used to sell the stuff to rot out tree stumps. The instructions state that large holes have to be drilled into the stump, stump rot poured on, covered with plastic for many months, then soaked with kero and burned. Several soaking and burns may be required to finish removing the stump. Personally i would go for cutting it off close and letting it rot away at it's own pace.