The traditional dendroclimatology is based on the statistical correlation between observations of modern equipment and chronologies from tree rings. In order to reconstruct paleoclimate reliably,the response mechanism of radial growth to climatic factors should be concerned well. Currently,there are two main approaches in the research area: monitor and model. The monitor approach contains dendrometer, micro-coring and pinning. In this paper, the four most popular methods are discussed in detail. The research progress is summarized and some prospects for future development are given.