The study was to investigate the differential responses of germination and the changes of the storage substances during the stratification in Cyclocarya paliurus seeds imbibed in cold woodland. In the present study, the seeds were treated by the acid scarification, GA3 soaking or cold stratification. It was found that the primary dormancy of the seeds was relieved partially or entirely because they were under the natural environments such as rain, snow and so on. These seeds were suspended from the cold stratification, thus the primary dormancy became greater and even they entered the secondary dormancy owing to the integrated effects of all treatments. The induced rate of the secondary dormancy differed from the treatments and the incubation conditions. The germination percentage of seeds stratified in (23±2)℃ was 10.3%, while it was up to 44.7% after the acid scarification, GA3 soaking and cold stratification. The content of storage substances decreased slowly. However, the catabolism of storage substances was not very consistent with the changes of their enzymes, particularly in the lipase. It might be relative to the secondary dormancy.