Pavenham Osier Beds are managed as a nature reserve by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. They lie south of Pavenham on the banks of the River Great Ouse, in the county of Bedfordshire. An Osier bed is where historically willows were planted and coppiced to produce withies which were used for basket making, fish-traps, and other purposes. The willow species salix viminalis was typically grown for this purpose.