I'm not from Utah, but I've spent a good bit of time traveling there and other parts of the great basin. If you want staves you can definitely find good bow wood if you look around long enough, especially in populated areas. Black locust, plum, russian olive and various elms seem to have been popular plantings back in the day and you can find a lot of them growing semi-wild on public land. lots more on old farmsteads. Silverberry (Sheperdia argentea) is a native species I've wanted to try, and Rocky mountain maple, chokecherry and mountain mahogany (if you can find a straight piece) are also around, usually at higher elevations. Learn what good bow trees look like, look for them while your driving or hiking, and carry a saw!
