Morris Lake worked for the Queensland Department of Primary Industries from 1961 to 1998. Since retiring in 1998, he has served in the International Wood Collectors Society (IWCS) as AustralAsian Regional Trustee (2002-04) and Publications Chairman (2004-07). He has written several books, including Australian Trees and Shrubs, and previously edited the IWCS journals World of Wood and Down Under. He has produced, authored or co-authored over 450 publications.