>> bard could get by with 1x survival and first aid for completing foraging and skinning bounties.
I don't know about skinning, but that's more than necessary for foraging. In fact, you don't need any ranks of either to complete those, especially as a bard. Between 1011 and 1035 (just to speed things along), foraging bounties are a breeze for my bard. At just over 50 trains, "You have succeeded at the Procure Herbs task 583 times."