After the developments of Boyd and Jacobs in testing for growth stresses it became apparent there was a need for a rapid testing procedure. \citet{Nicholson_1971} developed the first of these measuring the released strain between two metal pins on the surface of the sample, cut from the surface of logs. While considered a rapid method in 1971, updated versions of this test are still used for measuring surface strains but not practical (or considered rapid) for testing large numbers of stems in breeding trials. The ‘French‘ method (current iteration \citep{Baill_res_1995}) involves drilling a hole between two reference points, with a dial measuring the distance change between the two points.