The concentrations of Cu, Mn, Zn, and Pb in the samples of Cedrus deodara and Sabina chinensis widely planted in North China were examined via ICP and the regression and Pearson coefficients were also analyzed. The topsoil, branches, unwashed and washed needles were sampled in five plots from the urban, suburban, and rural (mountain) sites of Tianjin where the atmospheric conditions are significantly different. The results indicated that the concentrations of heavy metals in branches, needles and topsoil from the urban site were much higher than that from the rural site. Higher accumulation of heavy metals was detected in C. deodara compared with S. chinensis. The highest concentrations of Mn (2024 mg·kg^-1) and Zn (2397 mg·kg^-1) were observed in C. deodara from the urban site, which were 297 and 479 times higher than that from the rural site, respectively. The concentrations of heavy metals in needles of C. deodara were 15 to 30 times higher than that of S. chinensis, but no differences were found in branches. The concentrations of heavy metals in the unwashed needles were higher than that in the washed needles from both the urban and suburban sites, which indicated that the surface of the needles could adsorb many heavy metals. High concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Pb in aerial parts of trees were mostly a consequence of atmospheric deposition, though other factors could affect this accumulation in plants.