The objective of this study was to understand differences among three half-sib families of Betula schmidtii seedlings in the effect of three Cd levels on growth and photosynthesis. One-year-old seedlings of B. schmidtii were treated with 0, 0.4 and 0.8 mM CdSO$_4$ㆍ8/3$H_2O$ for two months. Growth and physiological responses to Cd treatment levels of three families determined using dry weight, relative height growth rate(RHGR), apparent quantum yield and carboxylation efficiency. The B. schmidtii seedlings exposed to 0.4 and 0.8 mM Cd showed statisticall significant decrease in dry weight and RHGR relative to controls. In addition, the growth inhibition of B. schmidtii seedlings was accompanied by a significant decrease in net photosynthesis measured as $CO_2$ assimilation. Apparent quantum yield and carboxylation efficiency were also affected by Cd treatment, undergoing a significant and progressive reduction with increasing Cd concentrations in all families. We also found significant difference among three families of B. schmidtii in growth, biomass and photosynthesis when exposed to Cd stress. Therefore the present study showed that the difference in Cd tolerance among families might be attributed to genetic factor in response to Cd stress