What insect wiped out the chestnut tree population in the U.S.? And where did it come from?

Answer 1

The Chestnut blight is a fungus that came to america from asia. It was first seen in the Bronx Zoo in 1904. This fungus grows in the vascular tissue of the Chestnut tree. Vascular tissue is the tissue responsible for moving water and nutrients from the roots of the tree all the way to the leaves. Basically this causes the tree to "starve" to death. However the Chestnut Blight only affects the above ground portions of the tree. Chestnut trees that die from the blight will continue to sprout form their roots for many many years. Currently there are attempts made to cross the American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) with the Chinese Chestnut (Castanea mollissima). This is because the Chinese Chestnut is immune to the Chestnut blight. This has already been accomplished but now these new trees are being bred back with American Chestnuts to produce a tree that is 99% American Chestnut and 1% Chinese Chestnut and still immune to the blight. This new tree should be available sometime this year.

Answer 2

It's a fungus. China sounds about right.

I wonder why European chestnuts didn't get the blight? Did we unknowingly import it, like with goods or plants or something?

Anyway, the answer before mine sounds pretty good. Go with that.

Answer 3

It's not an insect it's a fungus and it came from China.

http://www.forestpathology.org/dis_chestnut.html