Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), the characteristics of chemical elements were analyzed in white poplar (Populus bonatii Levl.) and ailanthus (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle) from three sites in the town of Xi'an, China. The results indicated that the concentration variations of Pb and Cd in tree rings were consistent with that of the environment where the trees were growing. P and Zn were translocated within tree rings to a certain degree, which led to an inaccurate pollution reconstruction. We also found that white poplar had a stronger absorptive capacity of Cd and Zn than ailanthus, which could make white poplar better as a species in environmental remediation. From this research we can see the great potential of tree rings for studying the history of different element pollution in the environment, showing that dendrochemical methods could be used as a powerful component in environmental monitoring programmes, to reconstruct past pollution history at the time when monitoring systems were not yet installed.