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Grow macho fern in a shaded or partially shaded (morning sun and afternoon shade) spot outdoors to keep it looking its best. While it's not a delicate plant, Macho fern looks its best when protected from strong, drying winds. Water enough to keep the potting mix moist, but not wet -- typically when the top inch or so of the mix dries. This may mean watering it every day during the hottest part of the summer.

Fertilize your macho fern every six months or so (at minimum) with a general-purpose fertilizer. If you want your macho fern to grow larger and faster, you can fertilize more frequently. Or you can add a little a timed-release fertilizer when you buy the plant to fertilize it all season long. Prune your macho fern to remove old, faded fronds.

Rather than using paper tree wrap, try the plastic coiled wrap that is flexible and perforated to allow air circulation. It comes in assorted diameters as well, so you can custom fit it to the current caliper of your tree and allow room for growth. Reputable nursery and garden supply centers carry this product. Nursery stock trees will often already have this flexible coil around the trunk. You only need it about two feet up from the base, which is about the height a rabbit can stretch.
Place three or four simple plastic snap mousetraps baited with a dab of peanut butter around the base of the tree. Check the traps each morning for a week. If the traps are sprung, remove any remains and re-bait them. If done consistently, you may eliminate the entire offending colony within that period.

You won't have to do much until dormancy. When it is time for the tree to rest, then you will look into pruning it. This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/pruning-fig-trees.htm

As you sense, it is best not to do extreme pruning or try to espalier a mature tree. You can do light "crown reduction pruning by selectively shaping the tallest and widest branches by no more than 25% of each branch and no more than 25% of the foliage removed in a one year period.

If you go more extreme than that, it will distort the natural form and beauty and create a vigorous growth response in the spring. The result will be rampant re-sprouting and you will create a thick and unattractive foliar crown and a lot more maintenance.

If it is really an unacceptable obstruction, an alternative would be to remove the existing tree and start over with a smaller species of tree or shrub or vine.

There are very similar infections that will affect any fruit tree, yes. Most of these can be quite deadly, and some treatable.

This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/common-fig-tree-diseases.htm

This is going to be quite difficult in your area now. The previous area was almost a full 2 climate zones above the one you are in now, and will not sustain a fruiting tree without the help of a greenhouse.

Unless the Fig was bred to be in container, it will not likely do very well or fruit very well. You can help this along with grow lights indoors in the winter time, as well as strategic root and top pruning every year.

This article will give you more information:https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-5/zone-5-fig-trees.htm