noun
Refers to small branches, twigs, or kindling used for fuel or fencing. Often appears in compounds like 柴垣 (brushwood fence) or 柴犬 (Shiba Inu, named for the brushwood where the breed hunted).
庭で柴を集めて焚き火をした。
We gathered brushwood in the garden and made a bonfire.
柴を束ねて薪の代わりに使う。
We bundle brushwood and use it instead of firewood.
枝 is a general term for branch or bough, not specifically for fuel or fencing material.
The kanji 柴 combines 木 (tree) and 此 (this/here), originally referring to small trees or brushwood. The reading しば is native Japanese and has been used since Old Japanese for small branches and kindling.